While Fernando Ortiz's contribution to our understanding of Cuba and Latin America more generally has been widely recognized since the 1940s, recently there has been renewed interest in this scholar and activist who made lasting contributions to a staggering array of fields. For the first time in English, this volume of essays demonstrates his impact on a staggering array of fields. Much of his most challenging and provocative thinking--which embraced simultaneity, conflict, inherent contradiction, and hybridity--has remarkable relevance for current debates about Latin America's complex and evolving societies.