This thesis explores the contributory factors behind two lynchings which occurred in Todos Santos Cuchwnatan in the north-west highlands ofrural Guatemala. These lynchings are part ofa wave ofvigilantism which struck Guatemala in 1996 following a 36 year civil war. While existing accounts of Guatemalan lynchings portray them as a repercussion ofthe violence ofthe conflict and insufficient provision ofjustice, through detailed reference to specific incidents I intend to illustrate a more genealogically complex process offomentation, where rumour, social change, and ineffective state apparatus all play roles alongside the lasting effects ofthe conflict and a failing justice system. The thesis intends to provide a contextual vantage point in what has become an increasingly decontextualised body ofanalysis which has stripped the violent actions ofmany of their specific causes and meanings. In doing so, I hope also to illustrate a key role anthropology can play in the study ofviolence. The thesis touches upon issues of post-conflict violence, transitional justice, vigilantism, rumour, and social change based on fieldwork carried out between 2003 and 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:487556 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Weston, Gavin |
| Publisher | University of Sussex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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