Contemporary Latin America arguably suffers from some of the world’s highest homicide rates. Despite transitions from authoritarian rule and the apparent decline in human rights abuses, violence remains a critical political and social issue. Yashar will analyze the temporality and geography of violence in contemporary Latin America. Based on ongoing research — including fieldwork, GSI mapping, and an original newspaper database — she will discuss the interaction between illicit economies, complicit states, and territorial competition.

Deborah Yashar is a professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and co-director of the Project on Democracy and Development. Her current research focuses on the contemporary rise in violent crime and the uneven record of Latin America’s third wave democracies to provide public security and rule of law.