Intimate Frontiers

This collection offers a fresh perspective on the Amazon's cultures and literatures, emphasizing intimate experiences over economic exploitation. Intimate Frontiers showcases diverse narratives.

The articles compiled in Intimate Frontiers delve into the multifaceted cultures and literatures of the Amazon, emphasizing its vibrant oral histories, images, songs, and material culture rather than its natural resources or economic potential. This collection offers a fresh perspective on the Amazon, shifting the focus from its often romanticized representations to the more intimate, everyday experiences that define its diverse communities.

Intimate Frontiers critically examines the cultural production of the twentieth century, featuring contributions from scholars across Latin America, the US, and Europe. These essays challenge prevailing notions of the Amazon's exceptionalism by exploring a rich tapestry of narratives that highlight the region's pluriethnic and multinational character. The authors engage with a variety of cultural artifacts, including travelogues, diaries, novels about the rubber boom genocide, indigenous oral histories, documentary films, and photography.

Through the different voices presented in this book, it becomes clear that the true wealth of the Amazon lies in its intricate histories and stories. The richness of the region is revealed through its songs, oral traditions, images, and texts, providing a deeper understanding of the Amazon as a space of cultural significance rather than merely a site of economic opportunity. Intimate Frontiers invites readers to appreciate the Amazon's diverse narratives and the intimate connections that define its cultural landscape.