Placing Latin America: Contemporary Themes in Human Geography

An innovative text for students, Placing Latin America takes a thematic approach to the study of the diverse human geographies of Latin America. Avoiding pre-defined ideas about this rapidly globalizing region, this volume focuses on the dynamic connections between people and places. Fifteen chapters written by a diverse group of contributors provide a well-rounded and accessible introduction to many dimensions of human geography, including discussions of migration in the context of transnationalism and globalization; the relations between urbanization, employment change, and the material and environmental landscapes of cities; and the connections between economic development and political change at different scales. Particularly exciting are the chapters on themes not typically found in other textbooks on the region, such as geographic analysis of the drug trade, tourism landscapes, and Latin American cinema. Jackiewicz and Bosco also include chapters on current problems of border and migration between the United States, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America. The book is well organized for the classroom-each theme chapter is illustrated by specific examples from different places in the region and includes suggested reading resources. Students and general readers alike will enjoy and learn from the connections that are drawn between different themes and contemporary concepts and important theories in critical human geography such as scale, place, and spatiality.