Description
Book Synopsis Why is it that Japan, with few natural resources, has become one of the world's leading economies but not Latin America, which is so rich in natural resources? This anthropological essay questions the Euro-centric notion of modernity and modernization and argues that Latin America has to find its own form of modernity, one which accepts and reflects its owntraditions. As long as a Western Model is grafted on to Latin American societies, modernization is bound to fail. After examining the history and peculiarities of these societies and their cultures, from the pre-Colombian era to the present, the author develops what could become the framework for a future, "indigenous" model.
Trade Review"Preconiza la necesidad de tomar en cuenta las culturas tradicionales ante las necesidades de la modernizaci on, especialmente en el orden de lo cient ifico-tecnol ogico"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Culture in Theoretical Perspective Chapter 2. Science and Technology in Theoretical Perspective Chapter 3. Science and Technology in Latin America Chapter 4. The Pre-Columbian Cultures Chapter 5. Aspects of Cultural Comparison Chapter 6. The Structural Crisis in Latin America Chapter 7. Indigenous Technology Chapter 8. Modernity and Rationalism Georges Bataille, "The Vanished America" A Conversation with Octavio Paz Bibliography
