Frontier Justice: State, Law, and Society in Patagonia, 1880-1940
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 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.
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Frontier Justice: State, Law, and Society in Patagonia, 1880-1940
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 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.
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Frontier Justice: State, Law, and Society in Patagonia, 1880-1940

Frontier Justice: State, Law, and Society in Patagonia, 1880-1940

by Javier Cikota
Frontier Justice: State, Law, and Society in Patagonia, 1880-1940

Frontier Justice: State, Law, and Society in Patagonia, 1880-1940

by Javier Cikota

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Overview

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 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780826367501
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Publication date: 03/18/2025
Series: Path to Open
Pages: 312
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Javier Cikota is an assistant professor of history at Bowdoin College.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Acknowledgments

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
Conclusion. Nationalism, Development, and the End of the Frontier

Appendix. Frontier Isolation: Towns and Geography
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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