Law and Society in Latin America

Over the past two decades, legal thought and practice in Latin America has changed dramatically: new constitutions or constitutional reforms have marked a widespread transition to democracy, fundamental institutional innovations have been introduced, and processes of globalization have had profound impacts on Latin American law. Law and Society in Latin America: A New Map offers the first systematic assessment by leading Latin American legal scholars of the momentous legal and political transformations in the region.Together with the liberalization of national economies, there has been an intensive importation of legal ideas and institutions - from the commercial and financial regulations promoted by the World Bank and World Trade Organization, to the adversarial criminal justice system inspired by the United States. Meanwhile, the globalization of human rights has had a fundamental impact - as demonstrated by the multiplication of laws, institutions, and public debates about the rights of groups that historically faced discrimination, and about the punishment of serious human rights violations committed by past or present authoritarian governments. These and other processes have not only radically altered the institutional landscape of the region, but also produced academic and practical innovations that are of global interest. Painting a portrait of the new Latin American legal thought for an international audience, Law and Society in Latin America: A New Map will be of particular interest to those studying law and Latin American studies.