Rural grassroots development

The research of Latin Americanist geographers on "rural grassroots development' expanded greatly during the 1980s. The topic's heightened import reflected the environmental, political, economic, and social crises of "modernist' development in the region. The studies of Latin Americanist geographers on the topic involved peasants, indigenous peoples, and religious followers. Much research consisted of case studies of local technologies and economic practices along with contextual examinations of socioeconomic conditions. Concerns in the regions indicate that representation and power, particularly democracy, infuse those areas of geographical research. -Author