
Secure the Soul
Christian Piety and Gang Prevention in Guatemala
Kevin Lewis O'Neill(Author)
University of California Press
1st Edition
Published on 16. January 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-520-27849-3 (ISBN)
Description
"I'm not perfect," Mateo confessed, "Nobody is. But I try." Secure the Soul shuttles between the life of Mateo, a born-again, ex-gang member in Guatemala and the gang prevention programs that work so hard to keep him alive. Along the way, this poignantly written ethnography uncovers the Christian underpinnings of Central American security. In the streets of Guatemala City - amid angry lynch mobs, overcrowded prisons, and paramilitary death squads - millions of dollars empower church missions, faith-based programs, and seemingly secular security projects to prevent gang violence through the practice of Christian piety. With Guatemala increasingly defined by both God and gangs, Secure the Soul details an emerging strategy of geopolitical significance: regional security by way of good Christian living.
Reviews / Votes
"Extensively researched." Books & Culture "O'Neill's field work ... throughout the book, is impressive.; [Secure the Soul] opens up a range of important conversations." -- Jill DeTemple Marginalia - LA Review of Books "A deeply sensitive ethnography ... a watershed moment not only for students of Guatemala, but also for Latin Americanists, scholars of Evangelical Christianity, and critics of the national security state." -- Chris Garces Journal of Latin American and Caribbean AnthropologyMore details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
15 b-w
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-27849-3 (9780520278493)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
01/2015
1st Edition
University of California Press
€99.20
Article not available at the moment

E-Book
01/2015
1st Edition
University of California Press
€28.99
Available for download
Person
Kevin Lewis O'Neill is Associate Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion and the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies, University of Toronto. He is the author of City of God: Christian Citizenship in Postwar Guatemala.
Content
List of Illustrations Prologue Introduction Forgiveness 1. Insecurities Hamsters 2. Reality Pangs 3. A Calling Service 4. Left Behind Captivity 5. Forsaken Adrift Epilogue Acknowledgments Appendix: Notes on Research Notes Reference List Index