Sovereignty and Extortion: A New State Form in Mexico

by Claudio Lomnitz

Overview

Over the past fifteen years in Mexico, more than 450,000 people have been murdered and 110,000 more have been disappeared. In Sovereignty and Extortion, Claudio Lomnitz examines the Mexican state in relation to this extreme violence, uncovering a reality that challenges the familiar narratives of “a war on drugs” or a “failed state.” Tracing how neoliberal reforms, free trade agreements, and a burgeoning drug economy have shaped Mexico’s sociopolitical landscape, Lomnitz shows that the current crisis does not represent a tear in the social fabric. Rather, it reveals a fundamental shift in the relationship between the state and the economy in which traditional systems of policing, governance, and the rule of law have eroded. Lomnitz finds that power is now concentrated in the presidency and enforced through militarization, which has left the state estranged from itself and incapable of administering justice or regaining control over violence. Through this critical examination, Lomnitz offers a new theory of the state, its forms of sovereignty, and its shifting relation to capital and militarization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478030737
Publisher:	Duke University Press
Publication date:	08/20/2024
Series:	Public Planet Books
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Claudio Lomnitz is Campbell Family Professor of Anthropology at Columbia Universityand the author of several books, including Nuestra América: My Family in the Vertigo of Translation, The Return of Comrade Ricardo Flores Magón, and Death and the Idea of Mexico.

Table of Contents

Preamble  ix
1. Interpretation of the “Torn Social Fabric”  1
2. The State Estranged from Itself  29
3. The Armed Wing of the Informal Economy  67
4. Regional Systems of the Criminal Economy  101
5. Island of Rights, Sea of Extortion  139
6. Contingency as the New Zeitgeist  171
Notes  197
Bibliography  203
Index  211

Editorial Reviews

Composing a historical, economic, political, and judicial panorama of the forms of violence in Mexico today, Claudio Lomnitz reformulates a theory of the state that takes on a special relevance. Contrary to the idea of loss of state sovereignty in the face of neoliberalism, Lomnitz shows how state sovereignty is reinforced through militarization and the concentration of power in the presidency.”—Verónica Gago, author of, Feminist International: How to Change Everything

“Offering an original and compelling interpretation of the present Mexican predicament in light of the history of the last three decades, Claudio Lomnitz takes commonsense explanations of the current moment—such as ‘torn social fabric’ and the slogan ‘The state did it!’—and explores their flaws and hidden sides. With this historically grounded and theoretically thought-provoking book, Lomnitz has traced the emergence of a new type of state.”—Sandro Mezzadra, coauthor of, The Politics of Operations: Excavating Contemporary Capitalism

"It is a good time for Lomnitz’s essays to be published—judicial reform is likely to become the defining feature of Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency and Morena’s plans are generating much hot air within the traditional enemy of Mexican sovereignty, the US. The anthropologist makes a sagacious and eloquent contribution to questions about whither this troubled country is heading—while providing evidence of the creative power of anthropology to contemplate contemporary sociopolitical issues."—Gavin O'Toole, Latin American Review of Books

"Lomnitz breaks new ground by providing intriguing conceptual approaches and thematic directions as he convincingly fills the content of his arguments with consistent and striking material to those interested in understanding Mexican politics and organized crime in the region in Sovereignty and Extortion with undebatable expertise. His contribution to the existing literature is appreciated."—Onur Agkaya, Latin American Politics and Society

"A remarkably provocative collection of essays that inverts lazy true-crime assumptions. Sovereignty and Extortion offers readers a new framework for understanding how cartels and states coexist. It should be required reading not only for all students of organized crime, but also for those interested in the future of the state, sovereignty and the rule of law."—Benjamin T. Smith, Times Literary Supplement

"Equipped with the tools of anthropological analysis, across the book’s half dozen chapters Lomnitz offers striking insights into a wide range of topics, from shifts in the nature of Mexican policing to changes in the social organization of cartels, and from the evolution of the illicit economy to alterations in local practices of bride-kidnapping in rural Mexico."—Tony Wood, New Left Review

"Lomnitz delivers a scathing critique of the Mexican state's response to the escalating violence of the past two decades, arguing that this surge in violence, which has resulted in 450,000 deaths and 110,000 disappearances, is symptomatic of a deeply torn social fabric and the consolidation of a new state order.  . . . Recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals."—R. A. Santillan, Choice

From the Publisher

"It is a good time for Lomnitz’s essays to be published—judicial reform is likely to become the defining feature of Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency and Morena’s plans are generating much hot air within the traditional enemy of Mexican sovereignty, the US. The anthropologist makes a sagacious and eloquent contribution to questions about whither this troubled country is heading—while providing evidence of the creative power of anthropology to contemplate contemporary sociopolitical issues."

Latin American Review of Books - Gavin O'Toole

"Lomnitz breaks new ground by providing intriguing conceptual approaches and thematic directions as he convincingly fills the content of his arguments with consistent and striking material to those interested in understanding Mexican politics and organized crime in the region in Sovereignty and Extortion with undebatable expertise. His contribution to the existing literature is appreciated."

Latin American Politics and Society - Onur Agkaya

Composing a historical, economic, political, and judicial panorama of the forms of violence in Mexico today, Claudio Lomnitz reformulates a theory of the state that takes on a special relevance. Contrary to the idea of loss of state sovereignty in the face of neoliberalism, Lomnitz shows how state sovereignty is reinforced through militarization and the concentration of power in the presidency.

Feminist International: How to Change Everything - Verónica Gago

"Lomnitz delivers a scathing critique of the Mexican state's response to the escalating violence of the past two decades, arguing that this surge in violence, which has resulted in 450,000 deaths and 110,000 disappearances, is symptomatic of a deeply torn social fabric and the consolidation of a new state order.  . . . Recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals."

Choice - R. A. Santillan

"Equipped with the tools of anthropological analysis, across the book’s half dozen chapters Lomnitz offers striking insights into a wide range of topics, from shifts in the nature of Mexican policing to changes in the social organization of cartels, and from the evolution of the illicit economy to alterations in local practices of bride-kidnapping in rural Mexico."

New Left Review - Tony Wood

Offering an original and compelling interpretation of the present Mexican predicament in light of the history of the last three decades, Claudio Lomnitz takes commonsense explanations of the current moment—such as ‘torn social fabric’ and the slogan ‘The state did it!’—and explores their flaws and hidden sides. With this historically grounded and theoretically thought-provoking book, Lomnitz has traced the emergence of a new type of state.

The Politics of Operations: Excavating Contemporary Capitalism - Sandro Mezzadra

"A remarkably provocative collection of essays that inverts lazy true-crime assumptions. Sovereignty and Extortion offers readers a new framework for understanding how cartels and states coexist. It should be required reading not only for all students of organized crime, but also for those interested in the future of the state, sovereignty and the rule of law."

Times Literary Supplement - Benjamin T. Smith