Latin American and Caribbean communities and civil societies are undergoing a rapid process of transformation. Instead of pervasive social atomization, political apathy, and hollowed-out democracies, which have become the norm in some parts of the world, this region is witnessing an emerging collaboration between community, civil society, and government that is revitalizing democracy.
This book argues that a key explanation lies in the powerful and positive relationship between community and civil society that exists in the region. The ideas of community and civil society tend to be studied separately, as analytically distinct concepts however, this volume seeks to explore their potential to work together. A unique contribution of the work is the space for dialogue it creates between the social sciences and the humanities. Many of the studies included in the volume are based on primary fieldwork and place-based case studies. Others relate literature, music and film to important theoretical works, providing a new direction in interdisciplinary studies, and highlighting the role that the arts play in community revival and broader processes of social change.
A truly multi-disciplinary book bridging established notions of civil society and community through an authentically interdisciplinary approach to the topic.
'An intellectually exciting and original dialogue between two frameworks for understanding the sense of belonging and social action in Latin America, with the value of an interdisciplinary approach.' - Jenny Pearce, Professor of Latin American Politics, Peace Studies, University of Bradford, England
The highly original approach that Yanovavitch and Rice take in bringing these authors together will lead readers to rethink the boundaries between the humanities and the social sciences as they consider the difference between "community," as a place of solidarity and mutual support that provides a sense of belonging, and "civil society," defined in the volume by Philip Oxhorn as the site in which marginalized groups manage to organize themselves to defend their collective interests in a space that lies outside the control of the state. Civil society organizations do this through activities that are sometimes supportive of but, at other times, antagonistic to both communities and to other civil society movements - a contradiction explored in the volume through approaches as varied as literary criticism, ethno musicology, and participant observation of social movements. - Judith Adler Hellman, Professor of Political and Social Science, York University, Toronto
