Commemorative historical works often disappoint readers with their celebration-rich and critically impoverished content. This multiauthor bicentennial reflection on Costa Rican independence offers detailed analyses of the broader independence era (the first half of the nineteenth century) as well as a take on the current moment that is more somber than celebratory. The collection highlights the research done by professional historians and their social science colleagues in the past few decades. Its topical rather than chronological or political organization showcases social history approaches, broadly conceived. The inclusion of chapters authored by junior colleagues at the Universidad de Costa Rica not only bodes well for the future but also offers some refreshing perspectives.
The collection's organizing principle is both innovative and difficult to carry out. All the authors are asked to end their chapter with a reflection on how their vision of Costa Rica in the early twenty-first century is affected by...
