Product Description

Organized in the mid-1970s as a means of communal protection against livestock rustling and general thievery in Peru’s rugged northern mountains, the rondas campesinas (peasants who make the rounds) grew into an entire system of peasant justice and one of the most significant Andean social movements of the late twentieth century. Nightwatch is the first full-length ethnography and the only study in English to examine this grassroots agrarian social movement, which became a rallying point for rural pride.
Drawing on fieldwork conducted over the course of a decade, Orin Starn chronicles the historical conditions that led to the formation of the rondas, the social and geographical expansion of the movement, and its gradual decline in the 1990s. Throughout this anecdotal yet deeply analytical account, the author relies on interviews with ronda participants, villagers, and Peru’s regional and national leaders to explore the role of women, the involvement of nongovernmental organizations, and struggles for leadership within the rondas. Starn moves easily from global to local contexts and from the fifteenth to the twentieth century, presenting this movement in a straightforward manner that makes it accessible to both specialists and nonspecialists.
An engagingly written story of village mobilization, Nightwatch is also a meditation on the nature of fieldwork, the representation of subaltern people, the relationship between resistance and power, and what it means to be politically active at the end of the century. It will appeal widely to scholars and students of anthropology, Latin American studies, cultural studies, history, subaltern studies, and those interested in the politics of social movements.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #854384 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

Review
"Based on ethnography of rarely-accomplished nuance and historical depth, Nightwatch is a vivid, elegant, and enlightening account of the rise and development of what has come to be widely recognised as the most important rural movement to emerge in Latin America since the late 1960s. Orin Starn has profound knowledge and understanding of both the Peruvian situation today and its recent and distant history. He writes in direct and artfully crafted prose, informed by the most up-to-date theoretical debates. This book will be of great interest not just to those who care about Peru and Latin America but also to scholars across anthropology, cultural studies, political science and history" Arturo Escobar, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and author of Encoutnering development: the making and unmaking of the Third World "Orin Starn's Nightwatch is the most thoroughly researched and perceptive study to date on peasant crime patrols and grassroots justice assemblies in northern Peru during the 1970s and 1980s. The book conveys cultural complexity in an engaging manner. Ethnographically rich and analytically astute, Nightwatch provides a remarkably vivid sense of peasant culture, politics, and justice in times of great difficulty" Steven J. Stern, author of Shining and Other Paths "Fascinating for any reader, and indispensable for anyone seeking to understand modern Peru" Alma Guillermoprieto, author of The heart that bleeds: Latin America now "Nightwatch is an elegantly crafted and important book that deserves a readership that extends far beyond the confines of Latin American anthropology and Peruvian studies. It successfully meshes a gripping narrative with an engaging discussion of key themes, ranging from the nature of fieldwork to peasant resistance and globalisation. More important, it brings to light one of the most important Latin American peasant movements of the twentieth century, until now overshadowed by the dramatic impact of the Shining Path on Peru." Paulo Drinot, Left History "Against the blemished backdrop of anthropology, Nightwatch stands as evidence of [Starn's] own thoughtful striving for disciplinary renewal." Andrew Orta, Anthropological Quarterly "Orin Starn tells the story well, with compelling ethnography drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in the region, but the work is also theoretically sophisticated and historically informed. In the best tradition of political anthropology, the dialogue between detailed local knowledge and the national and international political contexts in which these developments took place is never forgotten... This well-written, accessible account has plenty to engage both the Peruvianist and the more general reader." Penelope Harvey, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute "This is an excellent book, exceptionally well-written, provocative and challenging and a must read for the layman or specialist interested in the dynamics of the Andean world." Roger P. Davis, South Eastern Latin Americanist "[A] sensitive, wide-ranging account of one of the largest recent popular grassroots movements in Latin America..." Stuart Rockefeller, American Ethnologist "[A]n important commentary on the self-empowerment of a peasantry recently freed from serfdom on haciendas and their creation of what is characterized as the most important massive movement in recent Peruvian history." S. L. Rozman, Choice "An in-depth account... This masterful work is captivating and honest, filled with engaging anecdotes yet analytically informed by classic and recent theoretical works... Nightwatch is an extensive and impressive study of the rondas of the north." Jennifer S. Holmes, Latin American Research Review "[E]ngagingly written... Nightwatch provides a most interesting mix of people, institutions, and culture that makes it a very worthwhile read. Numerous photos breathe even more life into the written word." Ward Stavig, The Historian "[W]ritten in an accessible and engaging style ... interestingly enlivened with photographs, drawings, and quotations from songs popular among the villagers... [H]ighly recommended both to Andean specialists and to others interested in relations between villagers and the modern state. The combination of clarity of exposition and respect for complexity makes it an excellent text for readers at all levels from bright undergraduate to professional practitioner." Ray Abrahams, Cambridge Anthropology "Nightwatch is highly engaging and well written, with a tight narrative structure ... And evocative fluid prose." Peter Wogan, Identities

From the Back Cover
“Nightwatch is an engaging, elegant, and enlightening account of one of the most important rural movements to emerge from Latin America since the 1960s. Orin Starn writes in direct and artfully crafted prose informed at the same time by the most up to date theoretical debates. This book will be of great interest not just to those who care about Peru and Latin America but also to scholars across anthropology, cultural studies, political science, and history.”—Arturo Escobar, author of Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World

Customer Reviews

This book is about an unique expression of hope
I live in Peru (near Cusco) most of the year now. I purchased this text to enrich my historical and ethnographical understanding of Peru. Even though the `Rondas campesinas' (rounds of the farmer/peasants) occurred in Northern Peru, the history and the ethnography within this text are relevant to all of Peru.

`Nightwatch' is about the poor peasants of Northern Peru, who, in the long years from 1970 to 1990, when their nation was unraveling, banded together to survive and bring security to their communities. The Rondas rose as a defense against surging violence, rampant crime and a morally bankrupt government. In 1986 Professor Starn (Duke U.) was in Peru working on his doctoral dissertation in anthropology. `Nightwatch' is the culmination of his study.

Though the Rondas may never return, there will be new movements in Peru populated by the disenfranchised poor who continue their struggle for justice. Today, justice for all (except the rich) is an aberration in Peru. Corruption and repression by the Government are growing. Peru, today is a country without leadership and it is slipping back into the chasm of chaos that marked the years from late 70s to early 90s.

As I write this review (June 2005) civil unrest is occurring in Peru. Sadly, America and Europe have shifted their focus to the Middle East. America and Europe have left Latin America adrift. The despondency of the citizens as they watch their country and their lives sink into poverty is more pronounced monthly. The unreliability and the massive corruption under previous Presidents, Belaunde (1980-85) and Garcia (1985-90), has returned under President Toledo.

The book is well-written in a very readable style. The book is organized by broad themes, starting with the rise of the Rondas, and ending a little more than twenty years later as they faded into history. Starn charts the evolution of this peasant moment from a simple police force into tribunals that resolved dispute, disputes that the indifferent police and inept court system wouldn't. He also writes about the patrols through the night and the drama of violence when these farms captured a thief. The whippings and hangings demonstrates the resolve of the campesinas to regain control over their lives. Refreshingly, he does not romance the poor (projecting the image that such movements will remake the world). His chapter on NGOs (non-governmental organizations) is balanced and informative. If there is a downside it is that book tends to repeats itself, and could have been much shorter without sacrificing substance. This book is about an unique expression of hope and for students of Latin America, social science theorists and students of Andean studies this text will be essential reading. Strongly Recommended 3.5stars