What We Are Reading Today: The Contemporary History of Latin America

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Updated 20 November 2023
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What We Are Reading Today: The Contemporary History of Latin America

Author: Tulio Halperin Donghi

Tulio Halperin Donghi’s Historia Contemporanea de America Latina has been the most influential and widely read general history of Latin America in the Spanish-speaking world. 

The book is unparalleled in scope and known for its fine-grained interpretation.

Beginning with a survey of the late colonial landscape, “The Contemporary History of Latin America” traces the social, economic, and political development of the region to the late twentieth century, with special emphasis on the period since 1930. 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Island in the Net’ by Steffen Kohn

Updated 11 February 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Island in the Net’ by Steffen Kohn

Until just a few years ago, Cuba was one of the least-connected countries in the world. But as digital technology has become increasingly available, Cubans have found inventive ways to work around such remaining barriers as slow speeds, high costs, and inadequate infrastructure.

In “Island in the Net,” Steffen Kohn examines Cuba’s nascent digital culture and how it has reconfigured the relationship between the state and its citizens.

Each chapter is accompanied by a multimodal anthropology work: a video game, interactive installations, video art, and an ethnographic documentary.