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Cornell Series on Land: New Perspectives on Territory, Development, and Environment
The Frontier Effect: State Formation and Violence in Colombia
"This book disputes the commonly held view that Colombia's armed conflict is a result of state absence or failure, providing broader lessons about the real drivers of political violence in war-torn areas"--
234 pages, Hardcover
Published March 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 5, 2021
See my upcoming review in Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Antrhopology
May 19, 2025
The *Frontier Effect* is a book about Uraba, a region in Colombia near the border with Panama. Uraba is a microcosm of the country’s violent conflicts – you can truly see every element of the conflict at play in Uraba. Early on, an “underdeveloped” backwater that grows quickly due to the booming banana industry and early colonos. Later, a hotspot for guerrilla organizing, especially the FARC and (much less written about, though fascinating) EPL. And much later, the place where the paramilitaries will exert seemingly unparalleled control over economic and political life.
Ballve is interested in the role of the state in Colombia’s wars and especially Uraba. It is a common refrain that in places like Uraba, the state is weak or absent, and so Hobbesian violence emerges. Ballve argues that, instead, in these places other kinds of order emerge: imposed first by the guerrillas (who bring significant political infrastructure in the region) and later the paramilitaries.
Ballve’s narrative of the paramilitaries is where the book really shines. In many readings of the conflict, the paramilitaries are shadowy figures with little/no ideological worldview, notoriously violent and predatory. Ballve’s depiction is, frankly, surprisingly "sympathetic" (or at least more nuanced). He establishes quickly and convincingly that the paramilitaries, like the guerrillas, relied on social bases of support. And like the guerrillas, they had a vision for the region, a vision that is confused, unclear, and incoherent in parts, not so dissimilarly to the guerrillas.
The level of institution building the paras took on surprised me. The extent to which they resettled these lands with new peasants, who expressed some degree of loyalty, also surprised me. There’s also a ton of eye-popping anecdotes on here I hadn’t heard about; the paras foray into ecotourism, their development of JACs in the region, the fact that when land restitution ultimately comes to Uraba it is with tacit para approval.
Before reading this book, I thought the absence of the (effective, legitimate) state in large swaths of Colombia’s territory was a major factor in the war. After reading this, I still (mostly) feel the same way. I’m not sure I buy the move Ballve makes here – that state absence can’t explain violence, because other orders emerge. The orders he describes don’t seem to last all that long, and they seem normatively worse than an (effective, legitimate) state.
All said, impressive book!
Ballve is interested in the role of the state in Colombia’s wars and especially Uraba. It is a common refrain that in places like Uraba, the state is weak or absent, and so Hobbesian violence emerges. Ballve argues that, instead, in these places other kinds of order emerge: imposed first by the guerrillas (who bring significant political infrastructure in the region) and later the paramilitaries.
Ballve’s narrative of the paramilitaries is where the book really shines. In many readings of the conflict, the paramilitaries are shadowy figures with little/no ideological worldview, notoriously violent and predatory. Ballve’s depiction is, frankly, surprisingly "sympathetic" (or at least more nuanced). He establishes quickly and convincingly that the paramilitaries, like the guerrillas, relied on social bases of support. And like the guerrillas, they had a vision for the region, a vision that is confused, unclear, and incoherent in parts, not so dissimilarly to the guerrillas.
The level of institution building the paras took on surprised me. The extent to which they resettled these lands with new peasants, who expressed some degree of loyalty, also surprised me. There’s also a ton of eye-popping anecdotes on here I hadn’t heard about; the paras foray into ecotourism, their development of JACs in the region, the fact that when land restitution ultimately comes to Uraba it is with tacit para approval.
Before reading this book, I thought the absence of the (effective, legitimate) state in large swaths of Colombia’s territory was a major factor in the war. After reading this, I still (mostly) feel the same way. I’m not sure I buy the move Ballve makes here – that state absence can’t explain violence, because other orders emerge. The orders he describes don’t seem to last all that long, and they seem normatively worse than an (effective, legitimate) state.
All said, impressive book!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews