The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Latin America

Abstract This handbook presents a collection of essays including the development of crucial contributions to sociological debates in Latin America over the last 80 years, the period in which the sociology discipline became institutionalized in the region. The sociology of Latin America is a thriving field whose major contributions include Dependence theory, World-systems theory, historical debates on economic development, among others. This handbook offers research essays that introduce the readers to the main assessments of the discipline’s key areas and current trends, specifically with regard to contemporary sociology in Latin America, as well as a collection of innovative empirical studies deploying a variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The handbook is organized in eight subfields in which the most significant theoretical and methodological contributions are being made. These include studies in classical areas of sociology, such as sociology of inequalities, sociology of religions, and the well-established sociology of the state, collective action and social movements. The sociology of migrations in Latin America, which has rapidly consolidated into a specialized subfield in the region, provides analytical and conceptual categories that offer alternative theories. This collection also offers a group of sociological studies in diverse fields such as sociology of gender, medical sociology, and sociology of violence. Due to the deterioration of social and economic conditions, as well as recent disruptions to an already tense political environment, these have become some of the most productive and important fields in the sociology of the region. This roiling sociopolitical atmosphere also generates new and innovative expressions of protest and survival, which are being explored by sociologists across different continents today. The essays included in this collection presents a guided map and a thematic articulation to central sociological debates that introduces readers to contemporary sociology in Latin America.