Black Mexico: Race and Society from Colonial to Modern Times (review)
Hristov argues that the main characteristic of the parastatal model that was formed in Colombia is neither a traditional centralized authoritarian regime, such as those that existed in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil, nor merely a collection of autonomous bands like those dispersed in rural Mexico. Instead, we see in Colombia a mutated State Coercive Apparatus (SCA). In fact, it is not that the security apparatus mutated, but rather a "critical class mass" reconfiguration and realignment started taking shape during the 1990s, spearheaded by the narco-bourgeoisie with their paramilitaries in alliance with large cattle ranchers, large landowners, sectors of the urban bourgeoisie, conservative political forces, and the military. This "reactionary class configuration," borrowing Barrington Moore's phrase, triumphed with Alvaro Uribe's ascendance to power in 2002. This triumph was boosted by increasing U.S. intervention in the Colombian conflict, enhancing the state's hegemonic capacities in the Gramscian sense. Nonetheless, Hristov's rich description of the Colombian conflict witii information based on the author's fieldwork presents a valuable addition to the literature and presents an analysis that has become rare in the age of neoliberal ideological hegemony.