The Essential Sarmiento: Civilization, Barbarism, and Progress

“Domingo Sarmiento is a rhetorical and political giant whose garrulous, colorful, and troubling ideas about race, violence, politics, and literature have fascinated Spanish-language readers for over a hundred and fifty years. Thanks to William Acree’s brilliant selection of writings and annotations, the sparkling translations of John Charles Chasteen, and Oscar Chamosa’s excellent critical Introduction, readers of English can finally encounter this larger-than-life writer who was deeply committed to documenting his historical moment and assessing social and political ills. This book is a major—and long overdue—contribution to Latin American Studies.”