Description
Book Synopsis Although the Guatemalan Civil War ended more than two decades ago, its bloody legacy continues to resonate even today. In Silenced Communities, author Marcia Esparza offers an ethnographic account of the failed demilitarization of the rural militia in the town of Santo Tomás Chichicastenango following the conflict. Combining insights from postcolonialism, subaltern studies, and theories of internal colonialism, Esparza explores the remarkable resilience of ideologies and practices engendered in the context of the Cold War, demonstrating how the lingering effects of grassroots militarization affect indigenous communities that continue to struggle with inequality and marginalization.
Trade Review “At the intersection of historical and military sociology, postcolonial thought and genocide studies, the author sheds light on the consequences of decades of military presence in impoverished communities in the Chichicastenango region in Western Guatemala’s highlands. Her extensive experience of over 20 years conducting research in Guatemala contributes to the in-depth analysis of this volume…All in all, Esparza’s study provides valuable insight into the mechanisms of violence in the early eighties.” • Forum for Development Studies
“By combining postcolonial theory, military sociology and genocide studies, Marcia Esparza gives those largely silenced communities in Guatemala a sympathetic voice.” · Jürgen Zimmerer, University of Hamburg
Table of Contents Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: "My Soul is a Military Soul"
Chapter 1. The Methodological Crisis Revisited
Chapter 2. A Postcolonial Reenactment:The Cold War Civil Self-Defense Patrol System
Chapter 3. A Chameleonlike Army: Civic Action, a Postcolonial Strategy
Chapter 4. The Beheading of a Popular Maya Uprising in a “Red Community”
Chapter 5. Early Disbanding, Postwar Resistance and Na'tab'al (Memory)
Chapter 6. “Inverted Discourse:” Collaboration in “White Communities”
Chapter 7. Nationalistic Mythology Revival: Failure to Dismantle the Internal Enemy Myth
Chapter 8. A “Silence That Hurts:” Garrison Communities
Chapter 9. Militaristic Legacies: Lynching and La Cadena
Chapter 10. A Foreseen Aftermath: Decree 3-2014
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
