In Search of the Lost Decade - by Jennifer Adair (Paperback)

About the Book

"In 1983, following a military dictatorship that left thousands dead and disappeared and the economy in ruins, Raul Alfonsin was elected president of Argentina on the strength of his pledge to prosecute the armed forces for their crimes and restore a measure of material well-being to Argentine lives. Food, housing, and full employment became the litmus tests of the new democracy. In Search of the Lost Decade reconsiders Argentina's transition to democracy by examining the everyday meanings of rights and the lived experience of democratic return, far beyond the ballot box and corridors of power. Beginning with promises to eliminate hunger and ending with food shortages and burning supermarkets, Jennifer Adair provides an in-depth account of the Alfonsin government's unfulfilled projects to ensure basic needs against the backdrop of a looming neoliberal world order. As it moves from the presidential palace to the streets, this original book offers a compelling reinterpretation of post-dictatorship Argentina and Latin America's so-called lost decade"--

Book Synopsis

In 1983, following a military dictatorship that left thousands dead and disappeared and the economy in ruins, Raúl Alfonsín was elected president of Argentina on the strength of his pledge to prosecute the armed forces for their crimes and restore a measure of material well-being to Argentine lives. Food, housing, and full employment became the litmus tests of the new democracy. In Search of the Lost Decade reconsiders Argentina's transition to democracy by examining the everyday meanings of rights and the lived experience of democratic return, far beyond the ballot box and corridors of power. Beginning with promises to eliminate hunger and ending with food shortages and burning supermarkets, Jennifer Adair provides an in-depth account of the Alfonsín government's unfulfilled projects to ensure basic needs against the backdrop of a looming neoliberal world order. As it moves from the presidential palace to the streets, this original book offers a compelling reinterpretation of post-dictatorship Argentina and Latin America's so-called lost decade.

From the Back Cover

"This excellent study provides a new take on the 1980s in Latin America by revealing how the Alfonsín administration in Argentina channeled popular demands for social justice, political participation, and economic opportunity. In contrast to familiar accounts of the transition from military to civilian rule, In Search of the Lost Decade focuses our attention on overlooked features of Alfonsinista democracy, particularly its struggles to blend human rights discourses with broader promises of freedom from want and equitable national development."--Eduardo Elena, Associate Professor of History, University of Miami

"For those of us who lived in Argentina during the Alfonsín presidency, it is hard to imagine those years as history. But indeed they are, as Jennifer Adair's fine-grained analysis of the period demonstrates with clarity and great critical acumen. The study also creates a certain nostalgia, memories of the optimism of those years that are so far from the country's current mood and troubles. The country's ongoing struggle to rebuild democracy needs to reassess the lessons of that hopeful period when so many things seemed possible."--James Brennan, Professor of History, University of California, Riverside

"Adair has written a compelling account of the social foundations that grounded the democratic return in Argentina. By casting light on a previously neglected area, this book helps us better understand not only Alfonsín's presidency, but also the fate of Argentina's democracy to the present."--Ezequiel Adamovsky, Professor of Argentine History, University of Buenos Aires and University of San Martín

Review Quotes

"In Search of the Lost Decade is well-written, compelling, theoretically ambitious, and makes a significant contribution to the developing conversation around the 1980s in Latin America."-- "EIAL: Estudios Interdisciplinarios de América Latina y el Caribe"

"Adair's book, which originally places food and politics at the center of its analysis, is a stimulating and well-written examination of a historical period that has been dis- regarded by the Argentine historiography. It will find an enthusiastic readership among historians of Argentina, food scholars, and scholars of democratic transitions."-- "Hispanic American Historical Review"

About the Author

Jennifer Adair is Assistant Professor of History at Fairfield University.