Political Culture and Institutional Development in Costa Rica and Nicaragua : World Making in the Tropics

Acknowledgments ix List of Abbreviations xi Chronology xiii Introduction 1(18) Theoretical Overview 19(27) Manichean Identities and Normative Scheming: Origins 46(23) Orphans of Empire: Constructing National Identities 69(22) Postcolonial Paths: Rhetorical Strategies and Frames 91(21) Costa Rica: Possibility Mongers 112(34) Nicaragua: Hybrid Arbitration 146(39) Tropical Histories: Paradise and Hell on Earth 185(51) Transition: Familiar Novelties 236(27) Conclusion 263(14) Index 277