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September 2023 Vol. 61 No. 1

This third edition of A History of Chile by Sater (emer., California State Univ., Long Beach) and Collier (formerly, Vanderbilt Univ.) updates the authors’ second edition, which covered Chile’s political and economic history up to 2002, bringing this history up to 2018. The original 1996 publication (CH, May'97, 34-5268) was considered a crucial text by many English-language scholars—it was required for this reviewer in graduate school during the early 2000s. Recent Chile scholars will find a lot is missing in this text, including their own important work, which problematizes many of the claims and descriptions the authors offer. Women, ethnic minorities (e.g., the significant East Asian population that has lived in Chile since the 1800s), Indigenous peoples, members of the working class, and victims and survivors of state- or church-sanctioned human rights violations receive limited attention, and when they do, the coverage seems insensitive. By contrast, the police, the military, and even Chilean global pop star Don Francisco, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault, are treated with kid gloves. There are some historical inaccuracies, such as the year divorce was legalized, which was 2004.

--K. Sorensen, Bentley University

Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. General readers through faculty; professionals.