Weak State, Strong Community - How Institutions Enable Lynching in Latin America

How do institutions enable violence? Weak State, Strong Community advances a new theory of violence that moves beyond state-centric approaches, arguing that the forms of violence we observe depend on who rules locally. Variation in state capacity and legitimacy, as well as in community ties and values, produces distinct patterns of violence across contexts. The book examines these dynamics through lynching, a globally prevalent form of punishment violence that provides a window into community rule – contexts where states are weak and communities are strong. Drawing on cross-national data, case studies, and surveys in Latin America, the book shows how these institutional contexts enable lynching events and motivate individuals to participate in such violence. In doing so, it highlights a moral paradox: In their quest for justice, the perpetrators of lynchings themselves commit an injustice. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.