Title: Political authoritarianism in the Dominican Republic /
Authors: Krohn-Hansen, Christian, 1957-
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan,
Year: 2009
Subjects: Authoritarianism Dominican Republic.; Authoritarianism; POLITICAL SCIENCE Political Process General.; Politics and government; Dominican Republic Politics and government
Abstract: What is "authoritarian rule" and how can we best study it? Using the case of the twentieth-century Dominican southwest, this book investigates new ways of analyzing political authoritarianism. The Dominican Republic was ruled for several decades in the twentieth century by the dictator Rafael Trujillo and later by another authoritarian leader, Joaquín Balaguer. In this study, Krohn-Hansen examines from below the state formation headed by Trujillo and Balaguer. The book offers a historical ethnography from one part of the country. Krohn-Hansen argues that it should be imperative to approach authoritarian histories like other histories ; on the basis of detailed investigations of power relationships, everyday practices, and meanings.
Contents: Introduction -- Island, state, and community -- Kin, friends, and leaders -- Negotiating rule : the reformists and the public sector -- Negotiating rule : political fraud as interaction -- Constructing masculinity, negotiating rule -- Making the nation -- Bloody memories -- Conclusion.