Frontier justice : state, law, and society in Patagonia, 1880-1940 / Javier Cikota.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cikota, Javier, 1983- author.

Series:

Diálogos (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Diálogos series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Frontier and pioneer life--Argentina--Comahue Region.

Frontier and pioneer life.

Police, State--Argentina--Comahue Region.

Police, State.

Comahue Region (Argentina)--History--20th century.

Comahue Region (Argentina).

Comahue Region (Argentina)--Social life and customs--20th century.

Comahue Region (Argentina)--Social conditions--20th century.

Comahue Region (Argentina)--Politics and government--20th century.

Physical Description:

xvii, 289 pages : illustrations (black & white), maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, [2025]

Summary:

"Frontier Justice looks beyond the lawlessness and violence of frontiers to reveal instead the intricate tapestry of relationships that underpinned the development of civil society there. The book looks at northern Patagonia, which was military annexed to Argentina between 1878 and 1885. The Argentine government sought to develop in the region the kind of practices and institutions that would turn "barbarism" into "civilization." Using court cases to reconstruct the partnerships between prominent neighbors and the police, among neighbors themselves, and between police, judges, and prosecutors, the book argues that settlers were active stakeholders in the establishment and continued functioning of the frontier state. The book centers on an unusual cast of frontier denizens, tackling issues of gender, race, patronage, and colonialism to better understand the competing sources of legitimacy in a newly incorporated area. By the time that the national government finally sought to assert its presence more forcefully in the 1930s and 1940s, the population in northern Patagonia had developed its own "pioneer" political culture, built on patronage and informal legal arrangements and reliant on grassroots legitimacy"--Page 4 of cover.

Contents:

Introduction: Finding the seams of the state at the edge of the world

Chapter one: "A fictional government": building a state on the frontier

Chapter two: Civilization's embrace: "Indios" and the frontier state

Chapter three: "Public and Notorious": reputation, family life, and domestic violence in small Patagonian towns

Chapter four: "Suspicious virginities": jóvenes, sex, and marriage choice in small Patagonian towns

Chapter five: "The most respectable neighbors": vecinos and local politics

Chapter six: "A trusted doctor": legitimacy and local power in medical practices

Appendix. Frontier isolation: towns and geography.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-277) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Cikota, Javier, 1983- Frontier justice

ISBN:

9780826367501

082636750X

9780826367518

0826367518

OCLC:

1442344578