Introduction to Latin America provides a comprehensive overview of the political, economic and social forces shaping this important region of study for all students today.

This is the first textbook to examine Latin America in the light of the oportunities and challenges offered by globalization, and to assess how the region is responding. The author outlines the principal elements of contemporary debates on globalization, neoliberalism, democratization, poverty and inequality, and the social impact of environmental change.

The text reviews the theories (modernization and dependency) that dominated interpretation of Latin America for most of the post-War period and develops an alternative multidisciplinary frame of analysis. Drawing from international political economy the text offers a new basis from which to interpret and understand the complex forces and actors in today's Latin America and the ways in which their interactions impact on the prospects for equitable and sustainable development.

Incorporating maps, case studies, summary exhibits and guides to further reading, Introduction to Latin America is an essential and highly accessible text for all students of Latin America across politics, economics, international studies, sociology, geography and development studies.