Divergent Modernities

“[A] beautiful work of translation that admirably renders Ramos’s complex, mobile prose in clear and elegant English . . . . This is a publication to be received with enthusiasm, for the English reader now has access to what is arguably the most sophisticated reflection ever devoted to nineteenth-century Latin American literature. The field of Latin American criticism has not been the same since the publication of the original Spanish volume, and there is reason to believe that U.S. Latin Americanism—along with Latino studies, border studies, and other neighboring fields—will now profit immensely from the wide avenues of research opened up by this remarkable work. In a word, this is a book that, in spite of having been turned into a disciplinary classic by so many of us, has lost none of the unsettling, revolutionary freshness it displayed twelve years ago.” - Idelber Avelar , Nepantla

“[N]ow for the first time, this important study of modernity is translated into English. Ramos’s genealogy traces the emergence of Latin American subjectivity from the nineteenth through the twentieth century. In readings of Argentinean Domingo Sarmiento, Chilean Andrés Bello, and Cuban José Martí, he examines unequal modernization in the Americas, cultural divides in Latin America, and the region’s dependence on other nations. This edition includes two new chapters and translations of three of José Martí’s most important texts.” - American Literature

“[Ramos’s] careful exploration of the encounter between Latin American nineteenth-century thinkers and literati and the idea of modernity should prove informative and stimulating to all students of Latin American intellectual history.” - Benjamin Keen , H-Net Reviews

“Since its first publication in Spanish nearly a decade ago, Divergent Modernities has been recognized as one of the most important studies of modernity in the Western Hemisphere.” - Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education

“Solid, erudite translation; helpful notes. Recommended . . . .” - M. V. Ekstrom , Choice

"[A] timely and valuable translation. . . . [A]n essential source for any scholar pursuing a greater understanding of Latin American cultural paradigms. Specialists of subaltern and postcolonial studies, even outside of Latin American interests, will find much useful material here. . . . Ramos's grasp of the many intersecting impulses underlying the drive toward new and 'authentic' means of representing Latin American reality is as enlightening as it is impressive." - Todd S. Garth, Intertexts

"[T]here is reason to celebrate the English translation of Julio Ramos’s brilliant contribution to the field of nineteenth-century Latin American cultural criticism. . . . [G]roundbreaking. . . . [E]legantly translated. . . . [There are] many reasons for admiring this important book."

- Diana Sorensen , Hispanic American Historical Review

“What makes Divergent Modernities unique are not only its many subtle textual analyses, but also the effectiveness with which Ramos lends his unmatched mastery of the historical context of Latin America’s encounter with modernity to illuminate in original and important ways the process of literary creation itself.” - Tulio Halperín Donghi, author of The Contemporary History of Latin America

“With an innovative approach to the foundational intellectuals of Latin American modernity, Julio Ramos contributes to a rethinking of the intersections that constitute Latinoamericanismo of the twentieth century.” - Nestor G. Canclini, author of Hybrid Cultures: Strategies for Entering and Leaving Modernity