Of Paradoxes, Dilemmas, and Comparisons: Essays in Honor of Kevin Middlebrook

“This edited volume does more than pay tribute to Kevin Middlebrook, a great scholar and beloved colleague. It draws on Middlebrook’s work to offer insights into the areas of Mexican labor relations, comparative politics of Latin America, and US-Latin American relations, particularly the North American Free Trade Agreement. It examines new data and cases on militarization, conservative parties and democracy, and the USMCA. For readers interested in Middlebrook's legacy, and for students of Latin American politics generally, this is a valuable collection.”
- Professor Tom Long, University of Warwick

"For almost fifty years, with exceptionally keen insight and analysis, the late Kevin Middlebrook explored the twists and turns of Latin American politics; this magnificent volume continues his scholarly journey. Middlebrook’s research focused on Mexico’s political regimes, on Latin America’s conservative political parties, and on Mexican labor and the U.S.-Mexico free trade agreements; in this volume’s three parts, a diverse group of scholars provides compelling new research on these topics. Middlebrook was deeply committed to workers’ rights and to scholarship that is both rigorous and relevant; this volume beautifully honors his legacy."
- Professor Cynthia McClintock, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University and Director of GWU’s Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program.

This volume honors the scholarly contributions of Kevin Middlebrook, presenting essays that explore Mexican labour history, comparative politics, and US-Latin American relations, with a focus on NAFTA/USMCA.
The first section engages with Middlebrook’s work on Mexican labour, featuring dialogues on historical and policy analyses and reflections on Mexico’s democratization. The second section examines his impact on comparative politics, including studies of Peru’s military regimes and democratic transitions in Latin America. The final section addresses US-Latin American relations, highlighting labour provisions under NAFTA/USMCA and their effects on Mexico’s trade unions and economic development.
By bringing together leading experts, the volume demonstrates the enduring relevance of Middlebrook’s scholarship for understanding labour, political dynamics, and international trade in Latin America, making it an essential resource for students, researchers, and policymakers interested in the region.

Paulo Drinot is a Professor of Latin American history at University College London. He studied at LSE and Oxford and has authored several books on Peru, including The Allure of Labor (2011) and Los años de Leguía (2024). He was co-editor of the Journal of Latin American Studies and has received major research fellowships, including from the Leverhulme Trust.

Par Engstrom (BA UCL, MSc London, DPhil Oxford) is Associate Professor of Human Rights at the Institute of the Americas, University College London, and Vice-Dean (Impact) at UCL’s Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. He has held visiting positions at PSIA (Sciences-Po) and the University of São Paulo and worked with OHCHR, FCDO, and ABColombia.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Part I - Mexico’s Exceptional Political Regimes: Chapter 2: ‘The Paradox of Revolution’: State and Organized Labor in Mexico in the Twentieth Century.- Chapter 3: Equal Pay for Equal Work and the Failure of Patriarchy in Revolutionary Mexico.- Chapter 4: A Brief Survey of the Past Half Century of Political Evolution in Mexico.- Part II - Militaries and Conservative Political Parties in Mexico and Beyond: Chapter 5: Civilian Government and Militarized Development: Lessons from Mexico.- Chapter 6: Becoming the ‘Vanguard’ of Revolution: The Armed Forces and Politics in Velasco’s Peru and Chávez’s Venezuela.- Chapter 7: Middlebrook Revisited: Conservative Parties and Political Representation in Latin America.- Part III - US-Mexican Relations: Labor and Trade Agreements: Chapter 8: The USMCA and Mexican Labor: The Intersection of Domestic Politics, International Rights and National Sovereignty.- Chapter 9: Five Years after Institutional Change in the World of Work: Overview and Trade Union Perspectives in the Mexican Automotive Industry.- Chapter 10: Thirty Years after NAFTA: T-MEC, Can This Time Be Different? Reshoring, Value-Chains, and the Up-Scaling of Mexico’s Development.

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Paulo Drinot is a Professor of Latin American history at University College London. He studied at LSE and Oxford and has authored several books on Peru, including The Allure of Labor (2011) and Los años de Leguía (2024). He was co-editor of the Journal of Latin American Studies and has received major research fellowships, including from the Leverhulme Trust.

Par Engstrom (BA UCL, MSc London, DPhil Oxford) is Associate Professor of Human Rights at the Institute of the Americas, University College London, and Vice-Dean (Impact) at UCL’s Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. He has held visiting positions at PSIA (Sciences-Po) and the University of São Paulo and worked with OHCHR, FCDO, and ABColombia.

Zusammenfassung

This volume honors the scholarly contributions of Kevin Middlebrook, presenting essays that explore Mexican labour history, comparative politics, and US-Latin American relations, with a focus on NAFTA/USMCA.
The first section engages with Middlebrook’s work on Mexican labour, featuring dialogues on historical and policy analyses and reflections on Mexico’s democratization. The second section examines his impact on comparative politics, including studies of Peru’s military regimes and democratic transitions in Latin America. The final section addresses US-Latin American relations, highlighting labour provisions under NAFTA/USMCA and their effects on Mexico’s trade unions and economic development.
By bringing together leading experts, the volume demonstrates the enduring relevance of Middlebrook’s scholarship for understanding labour, political dynamics, and international trade in Latin America, making it an essential resource for students, researchers, and policymakers interested in the region.

Produktdetails

• Mitarbeit: Paulo Drinot (Herausgeber), Engstrom (Herausgeber), Par Engstrom (Herausgeber)
• Verlag: Springer International Publishing
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erscheint: 12.02.2026
• EAN: 9783032132178
• ISBN: 978-3-032-13217-8
• Seiten: 240
• Illustration: X, 240 p. 50 illus., schwarz-weiss Illustrationen
• Serie: Studies of the Americas
• Themen: Sozialwissenschaften, Recht,Wirtschaft > Politikwissenschaft > Vergleichende und internationale Politikwissenschaft; auseinandersetzen, Comparative Politics, democratisation, International Relations Theory, Latin American Politics, Mexican history and politics, US-Latin American relations