Edited by: Jina Aryaan
If you want to really understand what’s happening in the world, forget the two minute clips shown on the news. To understand politics you need to consider historical context, and that means you need to turn to books.
Books have a longer platform to dive into history and highlight the real life experiences of the same people they write about. My particular interests lie in Latin American politics, and despite my South American background, I have found that the most I’ve learned about “why Latin America is the way it is” in both its good and bad, has been through the words of people on the ground, amplified through the books which hold them.
And so, here are five books to read, not ranked in any particular order, if you want to get started learning about Latin American politics. This is by no mean an exhaustive list, nor will you be an expert if you read them all, they’re merely a starting point for those of you who have an interest (huge shout out to my Latin American studies anthropology professor who sent most of these my way!).
1. The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail, Jason de León
Photo from: The Undocumented Migration Project
My favourite ethnography to date. De León beautifully paints the trajectory of American border policy from its beginnings to its future direction. He follows the lives of migrants both dead and alive in order to bring voice to their struggles and return dignity to bodies which are stripped of their names and histories. This is not a happy book, but necessary to understand the people who are most affected by policies made by foreign governments.
2. El Salvador in the Aftermath of Peace: Crime, Uncertainty, and the Transition to Democracy, Ellen Moodie
Photo from: Goodreads
A book whose findings echo through Latin American countries’ respective civil wars and political turmoil. Moodie travels to El Salvador to understand why, after a bloody civil war that left thousands dead and devastation in the country, regular Salvadoran citizens express that “it’s [peace] worse than than war”.
3. When I Wear My Alligator Boots: Narco-Culture in the US-Mexico Borderlands, Shaylih Muehlmann
Photo from: Goodreads
An anthropology book written for non-anthropologists. It’s an easy and interesting introduction to the lives of regular people living on the Mexican side of the US border zone and how they navigate the risks between joining (or not) the narco-economy. She finds that many don’t have a choice and her book is essential in finding out why.
4. Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism, Greg Grandin
Photo from: Goodreads
The one book here not an ethnography and instead written by a historian. It doesn’t offer personal stories, but instead, highlights the many points in Latin America’s history when the US determined its future. A great book that ties to current US foreign policy and how new imperialism has shaped not only its closest neighbor but also the world.
5. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States, Seth Holmes
Photo from: Goodreads
Written by a medical anthropologist, this book looks at the lives of migrants working in the US agricultural sector and how their experiences affect their health and access to healthcare. I’m currently finishing up this ethnography, but it’s kept me on the edge of my seat thus far.
Where can you find these books? Some need to be purchased from a bookstore, but you should always check out your local Toronto Public Library to see if they’re available to borrow.
Happy reading!