Review of the book by Fernando J. Remedi and Mario Barbosa Cruz (2014). Cuestión social, políticas sociales y construcción del Estado Social en América Latina, siglo XX

Abstract

This book analyses from a historical perspective the protection and social action destined to the sectors violated during the twentieth century in Latin America from case studies in three countries: Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. In particular, the work that makes up this volume analyzes the central aspects of the construction of the state policies and the role of the different actors involved in this process. The theme is relevant for dealing with one of the central aspects in the renewal of Latin American social history. Being a compilation of studies, the book carries out a uniform conceptual approach that enriches the discussion while increasing the possibility of making compared between the social processes verified in the three largest countries of the region. 

At the same time, the book contains a complex proposal, combining the plurality of voices with argumentative lines that favor the dialogue between the different works of compilation, as well as with historiography on the subject. This is one of the most relevant aspects of the proposal, since it allows the reader to put in context the particular analysis of cases in an updated historiographic analysis. In turn, the book makes it possible to draw conclusions on some common dynamics but also on the divergences in the process of building social policies in the region. It should be emphasized the use of the different scales of observation-national, state, local-which, together with the study of the behavior of various social groups, offer a complex and problematizada look at the actions that the different sectors involved in these processes developed in Latin America.