24 - Panama

Summary

The most complete annotated bibliography of Panama appears in Carlos Manuel Gasteazoro, Celestino Andrés Araúz, and Armando Muñoz Pinzón (eds.), La historia de Panamá en sus textos (Panama City, 1980), vol. 2, 331–448, the last third of which deals with the twentieth century. Briefer but useful are Eleanor Langstaff, Panama (Santa Barbara, Calif, 1982) and Basil C. and Anne K. Hedrick (eds.), Historical Dictionary of Panama (Metuchen, N.J., 1970). A recent reliable survey is Sandra W. Meditz and Dennis M. Hanratty (eds.), Panama: A Country Study (Washington, D.C., 1989), especially Jan Knippers Black’s historical chapter.

Several journals carry articles and documents dealing with Panama’s history since independence. The Boletín de la Academia Panameña de la Historia (1933–) concentrates on the colonial period and the nineteenth century but sometimes dedicates an issue to a national period figure or event. Revista Lotería (1941–), published by the government, devotes much attention to recent history, culture and documentation. Tareas (1960–), founded by Panama’s leading socialist writer, Ricaurte Soler, carries articles by leftist writers and publishes occasional papers as well. Cultural and social themes, often treated historically, predominate in the Revista National de Cultura.