The Bolivia Reader

“The Bolivia Reader is a quite remarkable scholarly and editorial achievement. Its approach of providing us with direct access to scores of primary sources constitutes a unique ‘document of documents’ through which to engage with the country and its past. The editors have selected an exceptionally rich range of perspectives from before the Spanish conquest to the era of Evo Morales, from right and left, elite and popular, society and politics, literature and art. Their magisterial commentaries will assist all—newcomer and specialist alike—through the spellbinding Bolivian experience. Yet we, the readers of The Bolivia Reader, are always left free to form our own opinions.” - James Dunkerley, author of Rebellion in the Veins: Political Struggle in Bolivia, 1952–1982

“With The Bolivia Reader as guide, the reader sets off on a fascinating journey through five hundred tumultuous years of history. The Reader offers a dazzling kaleidoscope of voices, perspectives, visual images, and textual genres. It throws new light on the country’s remote historical landscapes, unresolved social tensions, suppressed histories and memories, and inextinguishable indigenous cultures. More than an introductory volume, The Bolivia Reader contains documentary riches and insightful essays that promise to make it an indispensable book for scholars, travelers, and students.” - Brooke Larson, author of Trials of Nation Making: Liberalism, Race, and Ethnicity in the Andes, 1810–1910

“English-speaking audiences now have a rich resource for in-depth study of Bolivia. It is the perfect book for courses on Andean history and Latin America, as well as hemispheric courses on power, culture, politics, and economy in the Americas. Overall, this book is indispensable for university and college libraries. To put it simply, there is no comparable volume.”

“The field of Bolivian studies has expanded rapidly in the past two decades. . . . Yet, until now, no single book had offered a compelling and comprehensive overview of the forces that have shaped the country into the twenty-first century. The Bolivia Reader performs this difficult task splendidly.”