Modernity at Gunpoint : Firearms, Politics, and Culture in Mexico and Central America / Sophie Esch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Esch, Sophie, author.

Series:

Illuminations (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Illuminations: Cultural formations of the Americas series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Militarism in literature.

War in literature.

Insurgency--Social aspects.

Insurgency.

Firearms--Social aspects--Mexico.

Firearms.

Firearms--Social aspects--Central America.

Firearms in literature--Case studies.

Firearms in literature.

Central America--History, Military--Social aspects.

Central America.

Mexico--History, Military--Social aspects.

Mexico.

Mexico--History--Revolution, 1910-1920--Influence.

Nicaragua--History--Revolution, 1979--Influence.

Nicaragua.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (284 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018.

Summary:

"Modernity at Gunpoint provides the first study of the political and cultural significance of weaponry in the context of major armed conflicts in Mexico and Central America. In this highly original study, Sophie Esch approaches political violence through its most direct but also most symbolic tool: the firearm. In novels, songs, and photos of insurgency, firearms appear as artifacts, tropes, and props, through which artists negotiate conceptions of modernity, citizenship, and militancy. Esch grounds her analysis in important rereadings of canonical texts by Martín Luis Guzman, Nellie Campobello, Omar Cabezas, Gioconda Belli, Sergio Ramirez, Horacio Castellanos Moya, and others. Through the lens of the iconic firearm, Esch relates the story of the peasant insurgencies of the Mexican Revolution, the guerrilla warfare of the Sandinista Revolution, and the ongoing drug-related wars in Mexico and Central America, to highlight the historical, cultural, gendered, and political significance of weapons in this volatile region"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Firearms as symbols of insurgency and modernity

Carbines and cartridge belts : affirming one's presence

Pistols and paredón : violent politics of affect and modernity

Riddled by bullets : weaponry, militancy, and the people in arms as desire and enigma

Songs of guerrilla warfare and enchatment : popularizing and legitimizing armed struggle

Hidden arsenals : demobilized combatants and the postwar state of mind

Golden AK-47s and weapon displays : the props of the drug war

Epilogue: The long shadow of the rifle.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780822986133

0822986132

OCLC:

1061503151