ABSTRACT
The introduction highlights the multiplicity and complexity of the cultures and historical experiences that are commonly referred to as Latin American, and which are presented in this volume from a range of national perspectives that extends far beyond the well-known involvement of Spain and Portugal. It explains the arrangement of the chapters, which is designed to allow their thematic concerns to resonate with each other, and illustrates the variety of particular connections between the subject matter of individual chapters. Finally, the underlying intention of the volume is summarized – echoing a sentiment of the abbé Raynal, the principal author of the eighteenth-century history of ‘the two Indies’ – in the notion that the combination of stories presented in this volume might contribute to a wider global understanding.
