Description
Book SynopsisMichael J. LaRosa and Germán R. Mejía offer a comprehensive approach to Colombian history in the post-independence era, from about 1810 to the present. This third edition includes vital updates that dive into the historic 2022 presidential election and signing of the Peace Accords with FARC in 2016.
This deeply informed and accessible book thematically traces the history of Colombia, moving beyond the common perception of a failed state to explore the rich heritage and dynamism that have characterized Colombia past and present. The book focuses on the factors that have contributed to Colombia’s unification and development and looks at political projects, economic activity, and cultural development that have pushed Colombia forward. Also included are a photo essay, detailed chronology for further study and research, and a chapter dealing with Colombians abroad.
Trade ReviewDuring the last decade, Colombia underwent a tectonic transformation, securing a peace deal with Latin America's longest-running insurgent group, electing its first-ever leftist president, and even starring as the backdrop for a record-breaking animated Disney film. The rest of the world is quickly discovering Colombia, and LaRosa and Mejia's third edition of Colombia: A Concise Contemporary History is a peerless companion for scholars, practitioners, and curious minds seeking a greater understanding of the South American nation in all its spellbinding complexity.
-- Paul J. Angelo, Director, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Pamela S. Murray
Introduction
1 Origins
Precedents
The Crisis of Empire
1810: The Development of the Juntas
The First Republic (1811–1816)
The Final Battle against Absolutism
Colombia: The Second Republic (1819–1830)
The End of an Era of Change
2 The Colombian Nations
Colombian Indigenous Population
The Afro-Colombian Population
Other Colombians
Demography and Its Numbers
Colonizers and Settlers: The Nineteenth Century
An Urban Country: The Twentieth Century
3 The Dynamics of a Political Community
Citizenship
Rights
The Democratic Model and Politics
Government
The Formation of Law
4 The Cadence of Unity
The Parties and the Nation
Communion in Beliefs
A Common Memory
A Single Institutionalism
5 Conflict
The Spanish Evacuation
Political Conflict in the Nineteenth Century
Panama Separates
Conflict in the Twentieth Century
La Violencia
Insurgency Intervention
Narco-violence
Plan Colombia, 2000
6 Colombians Search for Peace
The Nature of the Colombian Armed Conflict
The Stages of the War
The Peace Processes in Historic Perspective
The Future
7 Economic Unity
Colonial Colombia Compared
Monopoly and Political Problems in the Eighteenth Century
Coffee
The Percolating Twenties
Oil and Industrialization
The National Front
Modern Times
Photo Essay
8 A Common Space
From Horse Path to Highway
Steamships and Railways
Aerial Cables and Airplanes
Mail and Communications Systems
Print Media
9 Cultural Dynamism
Sculpture and Painting
Literature
Theater
Architecture
Music
10 Daily Life
Popular Religious Celebrations
Sports
Beauty Pageants
Retaking the Colombian Urban Centers
Radio, TV, and Soap Operas
Gastronomy, Colombian Style
University Life in Colombia
11 Colombia and the World
The Early Days
The Canal Project
1928
World War II and Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Korea and the Alliance for Progress
Pope Paul VI and the Close of the 1960s
Contadora, Central America, and Colombia’s Neighbors
Uribe and Bush: Brothers in Arms
Enter Santos
12 Colombians Abroad
Preliminary Observations on Colombian Emigration
Why Colombians Leave: A Historic Overview
Bienvenidos to Queens
The 1980 Refugee Act
The Special Case of Colombians in Venezuela
Remesas—Sending Money Home
Colombians Abroad: Some Names
Some Sustained (and Unfortunate) Stereotypes
Peace Process and the Great Reverse Migration?
13. 2016 and Beyond: ¡Basta Ya!
The Elusive Peace
The Pandemic
Economic Data
Migratory Processes
Trouble on the Streets of Colombia
Tourism: The Contemporary Trend
Conclusion
Colombian Chronology, 1810–2022
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
