ABSTRACT
The story of the legislation is at its core an emblematic transnational one. The law aimed to combat transnational crime, what Mujica called a “mafia monopoly” of drugs, that entered the country from Paraguay through Argentina and Brazil. And, indeed, the impact of the legislation extended beyond Uruguay's shores. The New York Times wrote right before its passage, “It looks like once again this tiny country—the first in the region to legalize divorce and women's suffrage—is about to teach its neighbors a big lesson.” Rather, the contributors seek to integrate Uruguay into these larger studies to understand how it complicates, changes, or even at times strengthens previously understood regional narratives. During the conversation, several questions emerged centered on the relative dearth of academic works and the challenge of writing Uruguayan histories, especially for a US-based audience. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
