Citation

Stepputat F. Gov. Oppos. 2008; 43(2): 337-357.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Government and Opposition Ltd, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1477-7053.2008.00256.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Land is a key issue in the aftermath of wars. The return or resettlement of displaced populations accentuates land-related problems, and international support seeks to strengthen the state's administration of land. This article explores ethnographically a land conflict in Guatemala between returning refugees and former members of a civil defence patrol, including the intervention of state and international institutions. In dialogue with Carl Schmitt's idea that land appropriation, first measurements and division are constitutive of the order and orientation of political community, the analysis suggests that bodily presence at the land, potential use of violence and negotiated measurement, continue to be features of post-colonial states despite attempts to solve land problems once and for all.