Socio-political Histories of Latin American Statistics

Beschreibung

This book brings together recent research on the sociopolitical history of Latin American statistics from the nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth century. Reflecting the influence of social constructivism in the social sciences, it sheds new light on the historical emergence and development of both statistical reasoning and practices within a region traditionally seen as a passive consumer of foreign-produced theories and methods. By analysing the early enthusiasm for enumerating reality and the processes of institutionalisation of statistics in different national spaces, from Mexico to the Southern Cone, these studies show the ways in which Latin America adapted and used this modern tool of government and social classification to build political regimes and scientific arenas. The volume offers valuable insights into the divergent regional trajectories of this discipline, advancing towards an understanding of statistics and its past from a truly global perspective.

Cecilia T. Lanata-Briones is Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Warwick, UK, and Adjunct Researcher of the Centro Interdisciplinario para el Estudio de Políticas Públicas, Argentina.

Andrés Estefane is an independent researcher based in Santiago, Chile; he received his Ph.D. in History from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA.

Claudia Jorgelina Daniel is Adjunct Researcher at CONICET based in the Centro de Investigaciones Sociales, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This book brings together recent research on the sociopolitical history of Latin American statistics from the nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth century. Reflecting the influence of social constructivism in the social sciences, it sheds new light on the historical emergence and development of both statistical reasoning and practices within a region traditionally seen as a passive consumer of foreign-produced theories and methods. By analysing the processes of institutionalisation of statistics in different national spaces, from Mexico to the Southern Cone, these studies show the unique ways in which Latin America adapted and used this modern tool of government and social classification to build political regimes and scientific arenas. The early enthusiasm for enumerating reality, the regular production of statistics and censuses, and the role of the region in the global transformation of this knowledge are some of the aspects reviewed to grasp the contingent dynamic of these dialogues and appropriations. Thus, Socio-political Histories of Latin American Statistics seeks to offer new insights into the divergent regional trajectories of this discipline, advancing towards an understanding of statistics and its past from a truly global perspective.

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Cecilia T. Lanata-Briones

Themen in »Socio-political Histories of Latin American Statistics«

censuses history of statistics Latin America population statistical knowledge statistical practices statistical culture state-building processes diplomacy nation-building social constructivism Mexico Southern Crone social categories quantification

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“This book explores a key topic: the making of statistical knowledge in Latin America and its role in state formation and nation building. It brings together excellent scholarship which illustrates the importance of statistics to the history of Latin America and the importance of Latin America to the global history of statistics.” (Paulo Drinot, University College London, UK)

“Socio-political histor(ies) of Latin American statistics: these six words synthesize the project behind this remarkable and unique work. Based on a field of research, the socio-politics of quantification, which has experienced significant development in Europe and North America, and mobilizing a network of researchers who are often young but already experienced, this book, full of finesse and subtleties, provides academic audiences around the world with an up-to-date and stimulating state of the art. The approach is historical, sociological, and political. The diversity of statistical experiences in Latin America is considered.” (Jean-Pierre Beaud, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada)

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