Abstract
This book by Barry Cannon and Peadar Kirby provides for an insightful examination of the role played by civil societies in left-led Latin American countries. It makes a comprehensive presentation going through the continent from north to south in well-documented case studies. Civil Society and the State is thus an important contribution to understanding the evolution of civil society in Latin America and its development under the pressure of globalisation. Regardless of Latin America's perpetual presence in North America's backyard, it maintained a preference for the left. The volume is not targeted at the general public, but at academics and researchers aiming to catch a glimpse of Latin American society.
The core analysis of the volume is concentrated in the first part. Its six chapters give a thorough examination of the relationship between the state and civil society. Developed in a similar manner, these two receive comparable attention and space in the volume. Worthy of praise are the efforts put into the second and third parts that go beyond the usual analysis, trying – and succeeding in most cases – to establish a greater picture of the relationship between globalisation and its effects on social and political movements. These chapters examine the so-called ‘new left’ movements of the 1990s and early 2000s in Bolivia, Chile and Peru. This approach gives us a better image of the ‘unique’ leftist movements after the dissolution of the communist regimes in Europe.
The volume meets both the methodological and exploratory standards of an inclusive work, bringing the field closer to the reader and providing a clear picture of a few of the most important recent developments in Latin America's social policy. The contributions are well chosen and of high quality, benefiting from the expertise of scholars residing in Latin America, Europe and the United States. The editors' effort to round out the volume through their own contribution in the introduction and conclusion gives a clear image to neophytes. Above all, the book highlights the complexity of the region and provides a good starting point in the pursuit of deeper research. To sum up, this book is important reading for those wishing to have a better understanding of the contemporary Latin American social, economic and political climate in the post-Cold War setting.