CIAO DATE: 02/2013
June 2012
This working paper offers a longitudinal analysis of appropriation and resistance mechanisms in a culturally heterogeneous context. The study is based on a micro-historical investigation of intercultural communication and cooperation on Latin American frontiers during the transition from colonies to early republics. It begins with the assumption that governance mechanisms implemented by the state were necessarily adapted to the needs of the local population. Our case studies confirm the difficulty of empirically separating mechanisms of appropriation from mechanisms of resistance; appropriation is generally eclectic in situations of cultural heterogeneity and, as a mechanism, usually counteracts the intentions of state actors.
Resource link: Appropriation and Resistance Mechanisms in (Post-) Colonial Constellations of Actors: The Latin American Frontiers [PDF]