The Invention of the Jewish Gaucho: Villa Clara and the Construction of Argentine Identity (review)
Well researched, and clearly written, Caplan's book constitutes a major contribution on a topic and period of Mexican history not yet well known. Her work is also valuable for applying the comparative method in historical studies, which is often avoided in the field. Comparative approaches present problems once developments over time are involved, as here a more detailed account of changes in local political administration would have been desirable. The replacement of subdelegados by subprefectos, for example, is not addressed. Further, Caplan's work lacks adequate treatment of die judiciary functions of local government—a rather central issue for indlgenas and state officials as well.