| Societies of Fear: The Legacy of Civil War, Violence and Terror in Latin America Contributor(s): Koonings, Kees (Editor), Kruijt, Dirk (Editor) |
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ISBN: 1856497674 ISBN-13: 9781856497671 Publisher: Zed Books OUR PRICE: $52.42 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 1999 Annotation: Latin America is in the grip of a double challenge--coping with what may be the worst economic crisis since the 1930s and the huge problems of poverty and inequality this has produced, while simultaneously consolidating its democratic transition, trying to recover from the traumas of many years of authoritarian rule and state terror. This superb collection of original scholarship and historical and analytical overviews examines a subject that has received too little attention--the legacy of past conflict, violence and terror in all the most important countries of South and Central America. This volume is ideal for scholars concerned with Latin American society and politics generally, and civil-military relations, peace-building and good governance in particular. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Latin America - South America - Political Science | Comparative Politics - History | Americas (north Central South West Indies) |
| Dewey: 303.609 |
| LCCN: 99-2572 |
| Physical Information: 0.67" H x 6.01" W x 9.11" (1.15 lbs) 352 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Latin America |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: As cities sprawl across Latin America, absorbing more and more of its people, crime and violence have become inescapable. From the paramilitary invasion of Medell n in Colombia, the booming wealth of crack dealers in Managua, Nicaragua and police corruption in Mexico City, to the glimmers of hope in Lima, this book provides a dynamic analysis of urban insecurity. Based on new empirical evidence, interviews with local people and historical contextualization, the authors attempts to shed light on the fault-lines which have appeared in Latin American society. Neoliberal economic policy, it is argued, has intensified the gulf between elites, insulated in gated estates monitored by private security firms, and the poor, who are increasingly mistrustful of state-sponsored attempts to impose order on their slums. Rather than the current trend towards government withdrawal, the situation can only be improved by co-operation between communities and police to build new networks of trust. In the end, violence and insecurity are inseparable from social justice and democracy. |