Stemming from a 2012 conference at Washington University in St. Louis, this provocative volume bridges the gap between the disciplines of literature and history by exploring Spanish and Latin American culture during what Christopher Schmidt-Nowara has termed the age between decolonizations. Akiko Tsuchiya's introduction presents “the ‘end of empire’” not as a bookend for the colonial period but rather as “a [cultural] process that occurred over the course of the long nineteenth century” (p. 3). In pursuing the book's overall thesis, Lisa Surwillo reveals the cultural context behind immigration patterns to the New World. She provides clear evidence that the American dream, the desire to “hacer las Américas,” continued to entice Spaniards to emigrate long after the political separation that marked the end of the independence period (p. 198). As a whole, the book reexamines the legacy of Spain's colonial empire, allowing readers to “reimagine the circulation of culture and...
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
