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How are global norms translated into local contexts? I examine the translation of three rule-of-law norms in postconflict Guatemala: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the right to access public information, and best practices for international rule-of-law commissions. These cases, I argue, do not fit established models for diffusion, such as those associated with standard bargaining approaches, norm socialization frameworks, and norm localization theory. Instead, rule-of-law promotion triggered domestic contestation and, subsequently, what I term an "interactive translation loop." These processes changed the modes of interaction among rule-of-law promoters and how the norms ultimately translated into the Guatemalan context. I demonstrate that a critical variable, the precision of international norms, conditions the leeway available for such translations. To the extent that my framework travels to other cases, it offers an important corrective to established theories of how global norms translate into local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of URVIO - Revista Latinoamericana de Seguridad Ciudadana is the property of FLACSO - Ecuador (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Anthropologica is the property of CASCA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article is about the role of civil society after violent conflict. It argues that the transformations that civil society organisations (CSOs) make are more ambiguous than supporting donors and NGOs presume. The article analyses how, ten years after the 1996 peace agreements, Guatemalan CSOs deal with agrarian conflict. It discusses in detail the case of a church-related organisation assisting peasants with agrarian conflicts and the challenges it faced in defining its strategies. The article argues that supporting donors and NGOs should stop seeing the difficulties of organisational change in post-conflict situations exclusively in terms of the internal incapacities of civil society. Instead, they should re-politicise their analyses and focus on the importance of broader social and political processes in post-conflict settings for the strategic options open to CSOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination into the social, political and religious dynamics of neo-Pentecostalism in 20th and early 21st century Guatemala. Focus is given to the theme of "Christian eroticism" where the blending of the psychological elements of personal experience, religious affiliation and desire are analyzed. An overview is given of multiple generations of Christians in Guatemala since the 1970s, contrasting the dynamics of 21st-century neo-Pentecostal Christian eroticism. Discussion is also given studying how the religious attitudes of Guatemala relate to their political attitudes.

In the battle for political space in postconflict Guatemala, protective accompaniment presents prospects for actualizing citizenship rights. I use the term proxy citizenship to refer to the potential for limited rights transfer between citizen bodies, privileged and bare. Foreign accompaniment volunteers can influence the dynamics of conflict by being present and bearing witness, therein supporting the (re)placement of local human rights defenders in the politico-juridical sphere as rights-bearing citizens empowered to testify against impunity. I situate my own experiences in Guatemala within the broader literature on radical democratic theory and geographies of citizenship, examining the possibilities and problems associated with exploiting the differential “worth” of citizen bodies. Taking up the claim that “presence signals the possibility of a politics,” I argue that putting citizenship in the line of fire may open modest but strategic pathways in transnational solidarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a comparative analysis of sexual violence perpetrated by state armed forces during the Guatemalan and Peruvian civil wars. Focusing on the type of violation and the context in which it occurs provides new insights into the motives behind its use in war. It introduces a new data set on sexual violence compiled from truth commission documents and nongovernmental human rights organizations’ reports. The data reveal that members of the state armed forces perpetrated the majority of sexual violations, that rape and gang rape are the most frequent but not the only abuses committed, and that women are the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual violence. Aggregate patterns suggest that state authorities must have known of mass sexual abuse and failed to act in accordance with international law. Moreover, some evidence suggests sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. However, mono-causal models cannot sufficiently account for the variation and complexity in its use. Even within the same conflict, sexual violence can serve multiple functions in different contexts and at different points in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visitors to Guatemala may be surprised by the array of Protestant churches, many of them holding animated services in storefronts. My 2002 visit coincided with Pope John Paul II's third visit to the country. The reaction by some Pentecostals made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with him — again a big surprise to a Catholic accustomed to the wild enthusiasm papal visits produce. The mixture of religious diversity and fervor, chilly relations between Pentecostals and Catholics, and the country's systemic social injustices raises questions about ecumenical cooperation in Guatemala's post-war healing and development. The essay explores the reasons for the rapid growth of Pentecostalism and the potential of Pentecostal churches to contribute to societal transformation. It then argues the case that Guatemalan Pentecostals, Catholics, and Presbyterians and other mainline Protestants have several motivations for ecumenical cooperation with one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "The Guatemala Reader: History, Culture, Politics" edited by Greg Grandin, Deborah T. Levinson and Elizabeth Oglesby.