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A magisterial history of “Napoleon’s Vietnam”, by the highly acclaimed historian of Spain In this definitive account of the Peninsular War (1808–14), Napoleon’s six-year war against Spain, Ronald Fraser examines what led to the emperor’s devastating defeat against the popular opposition—the guerrillas—and their British and Portuguese allies. As well as relating the histories of the great political and military figures of the war, Fraser brings to life the anonymous masses—the artisans, peasants and women who fought, suffered and died—and restores their role in this barbaric war to its rightful place while overturning the view that this was a straightforward military campaign. This vivid, meticulously researched book offers a distinct and profound vision of “Napoleon’s Vietnam” and shows the reality of the disasters of war: the suffering, discontents and social upheaval that accompanied the fighting. With a new Introduction by Tariq Ali.
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Collects the 3,000 biographies from the 1996 reference for schools that would like to include more about the region in the curriculum but cannot invest in the entire set. Stretches temporally from the ancient civilizations of the Olmec, Maya, and Chavin to the present day. Geographically, includes South and Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the historically Spanish borderlands north of the Rio Grande that are currently part of the US. Includes political leaders, artists, philosophers, religious figures, business leaders, educators, scientists, historians, military leaders, musicians and composers, and others who have had either a historical or a popular impact. Well cross-referenced. Moderately illustrated in black and white. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Mediterranean quarantines investigates how quarantine, the centuries-old practice of collective defence against epidemics, experienced significant transformations from the eighteenth century in the Mediterranean Sea, its original birthplace. The new epidemics of cholera and the development of bacteriology and hygiene, European colonial expansion, the intensification of commercial interchanges, the technological revolution in maritime and land transportation and the modernisation policies in Islamic countries were among the main factors behind such transformations. The book focuses on case studies on the European and Islamic shores of the Mediterranean showing the multidimensional nature of quarantine, the intimate links that sanitary administrations and institutions had with the territorial organisation of states, international trade, political regimes and the construction of national, colonial and professional identities
Guillermo del Toro's cult masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth (2006), won a total of 76 awards and is one of the most commercially successful Spanish-language films ever made. Blending the world of monstrous fairytales with the actual horrors of post-Civil War Spain, the film's commingling of real and fantasy worlds speaks profoundly to our times. Immersing herself in the nightmarish world that del Toro has so minutely orchestrated, Mar Diestro-Dópido explores the cultural and historical contexts surrounding the film. Examining del Toro's ground-breaking use of mythology, and how the film addresses ideas of memory and forgetting, she highlights the techniques, themes and cultural references that combine in Pan's Labyrinth to spawn an uncontainable plurality of meanings, which only multiply on contact with the viewer. This special edition features an exclusive interview with del Toro and original cover artwork by Santiago Caruso.
The golden age of Mexican cinema, which spanned the 1930s through to the 1950s, saw Mexico's film industry become one of the most productive in the world, exercising a decisive influence on national culture and identity. In the first major study of the global reception and impact of Mexican Golden Age cinema, this book captures the key aspects of its international success, from its role in forming a nostalgic cultural landscape for Mexican emigrants working in the United States, to its economic and cultural influence on Latin America, Spain and Yugoslavia. Challenging existing perceptions, the authors reveal how its film industry helped establish Mexico as a long standing centre of cultural influence for the Spanish-speaking world and beyond.