Abstract

ZARATE HERNANDEZ, José Eduardo. Autonomous government and communal police. Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2021, vol.42, n.167, pp.1-23.  Epub Dec 02, 2022. ISSN 2448-7554.  https://doi.org/10.24901/rehs.v42i167.834.

This essay reviews the historical relationship between local governments and groups of armed guards. Shows that these groups have existed in communities in Michoacán in various periods as clear manifestations of the exercise of their autonomy while also demonstrating that contemporary processes of the formation of armed guards, sentinels, or community police have a long history, almost since the beginnings of the twentieth century. In addition to performing defensive actions, these armed groups or community police have been utilized at various times for purely political purposes, such as attacking political opponents or neighboring communities; at the same time, the State maintains an ambiguous attitude toward their activities. The essay ends with a discussion of the challenges that the exercise of contemporary autonomies confronts in the face of advancing predatory agribusiness and organized crime.

Keywords : State; armed groups; indigenous peoples; assembly; guerrilla.

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