Media and Politics in Latin America: Globalization, Democracy and Identity

Front Cover
Bloomsbury Academic, Feb 28, 2012 - Business & Economics - 289 pages
Latin America is an increasingly important geopolitical entity and its nations are emerging as some of the most influential and radical states in the modern world. The media conglomerates which control the television and radio platforms in these countries, such as the Globo organization in Brazil and the Mercurial S.P.A. media corporation in Chile, have great political influence across the region. Here, Carolina Matos contrasts public service broadcasting in Latin America to that in Europe and the UK, engaging with current debates on globalisation and theories of cultural imperialism. She examines the role public media has played in the processes of national development, democratisation and international dialogue across South and Central America, arguing that it can be a powerful tool for political and social inclusion. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Media, Politics and Cultural Studies, as well as those with an interest in Latin American culture. As key polities, such as Brazil and Mexico, begin to flex their economic and demographic muscle, Media and Politics in Latin America is a timely examination of society and politics in the region.

About the author (2012)

Carolina Matos is a journalist and academic and a former Fellow in Political Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She obtained her PhD in Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College in January 2007, with no corrections. Matos has taught and researched in the UK at the University of East London (UEL), St. Mary's College at Twickenham, Goldsmiths and the LSE. She has worked as a full-time journalist in Brazil and the UK for many mainstream newspapers and international agencies including Reuters, Unesco, Folha de Sao Paulo, Tribuna da Imprensa and Globo.com. Matos is also the author of Journalism and Political Democracy in Brazil (2008).