Re-Imagining Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1780-1870

"This book explores the ways in which people in Latin America and the Caribbean joined with others in Europe and the United States to re-imagine the ancient term "democracy", so as to give it relevance and power in the modern world. In all these regions, that process largely followed the French Revolution; in Latin America it more especially followed independence movements of the 1810s and 20s. The book looks at how a variety of political actors and commentators used the term to characterize or argue about modern conditions through the ensuing half-century; by 1870, it was firmly established in mainstream political lexicons throughout the region. Following introductory scene-setting and overview chapters, specialists contribute wide-ranging accounts of aspects of the context in which the word was "re-imagined"; six final chapters explore differences in its fortune from place to place"-- Provided by publisher Re-imagining Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1780-1870 examines the ways in which the ancient concept of?democracy? was re-imagined as relevant to the modern world in Latin America and the Caribbean between the later eighteenth and later nineteenth centuries. In most regions this process largely followed the French Revolution, while in Latin America it more closely followed independence movements of the 1810s and 20s. A sequel to two previous volumes edited by Joanna Innes and Mark Philp, Re-imagining Democracy in the Age of Revolutions: America, France, Britain, Ireland 1750-1850 and Re-imagining Democracy in the Mediterranean 1770-1860, this volume studies how a variety of political actors and commentators used?democracy? to characterize or debate modern conditions through the ensuing half-century. By 1870, it was firmly established in mainstream political lexicons throughout the region. Here, specialists in the field contribute wide-ranging accounts of aspects of the context in which the word was re-imagined, highlighting state formation, race, constitutionalism, urban political culture, education, and outside views of the region? the six concluding chapters explore differences in its fortune from location to location. Ultimately, this edited volume deftly explores the history of the language of democracy and encourages new debates about its meaning. Re-imagining Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1780-1870 examines the ways in which the ancient concept of democracy was re-imagined as relevant to the modern world in Latin America and the Caribbean between the later eighteenth and later nineteenth centuries. In most regions this process largely followed the French Revolution, while in Latin America it more closely followed independence movements of the 1810s and 20s. A sequel to two previous volumes edited by Joanna Innes and Mark Philp, Re-imagining Democracy in the Age of America, France, Britain, Ireland 1750-1850 and Re-imagining Democracy in the Mediterranean 1770-1860 , this volume studies how a variety of political actors and commentators used democracy to characterize or debate modern conditions through the ensuing half-century. By 1870, it was firmly established in mainstream political lexicons throughout the region. Here, specialists in the field contribute wide-ranging accounts of aspects of the context in which the word was re-imagined, highlighting state formation, race, constitutionalism, urban political culture, education, and outside views of the region the six concluding chapters explore differences in its fortune from location to location. Ultimately, this edited volume deftly explores the history of the language of democracy and encourages new debates about its meaning. Cover Copyright Contents Maps Preface and Acknowledgments Contributors Abbreviations I. Introduction 1. The Project and the Setting 2. The Language of Democracy II. Themes 3. Iberian Legacies 4. Foundations and Fissures in British and French Caribbean Political Culture 5. Emerging States 6. From Caste to Race: Re-imagining Diversity inSpanish America 7. Democracy and Liberal Constitutionalism 8. Political Cultures and Practices in Spanish South American Cities 9. Education, Citizenship, and Contesting the Future, 1800-1860 10. Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: The View from Elsewhere III. Language in Local Contexts 11. Articulating Democracy in Hispaniola: Haiti and the Dominican Republic 12. An Empire among Republics: "Democracy" in the Constitutional Monarchy of Brazil 13. Democracy in Mexico 14. Democracy, Pardos, and Slaves in Venezuela 15. The Allure of Democracy in New Granada, 1810-1870 16. Moderating the "Democratic Impetus": Trajectories of Democracy in Chile Further Reading Index