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Culturing identities, the state, and national consciousness in late nineteenth‐century western Guatemala1 ⋆
Author(s) -
Watanabe John M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
bulletin of latin american research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.24
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1470-9856
pISSN - 0261-3050
DOI - 10.1111/j.1470-9856.2000.tb00110.x
Subject(s) - maya , state (computer science) , ethnic group , national consciousness , politics , national identity , face (sociological concept) , political science , identity (music) , corporate governance , sociology , gender studies , racism , consciousness , political economy , ethnology , public administration , anthropology , law , history , social science , archaeology , management , aesthetics , philosophy , epistemology , algorithm , computer science , economics
Abstract This paper examines the procedural culture that shaped ethnic and national identities in late nineteenth‐century western Guatemala. Rooted in face‐to‐face encounters between departmental jefes políticos (departmental governors) and local Maya communities, this procedural culture emerged from routines of governance such as annual municipal inspections, ethnic struggles for municipal control, and local efforts to title community lands that led Maya and state officials to develop contrasting understandings of each other and their relations. Far from precipitating a national identity of mutual belonging, state formation here intensified the racism and political violence that would rend Guatemala during the century to come.