Political (In)Justice

Reviews / Votes

This is a pathbreaking study of institutional and personal relations between military and judicial elites in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, and how they laid the foundation for divergent patterns of state repression. Pereira effectively mines the institutional legacies of the past to offer a nuanced account of why some authoritarian states relied more on coercive violence than legal measures to fight their internal enemies. He also underscores the importance of turning greater disciplinary attention to the rule of law and the ways that military priorities and institutions affected the administration of the justice system in its entirety. * Diane E. Davis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Pereira has researched the important topic of Brazil's legal system under authoritarian rule using the excellent, but underutilized, source material from the Nunca Mais archives. He makes the provocative argument that prior legal traditions shape the use of laws and courts under authoritarian rule. The book is written well, making it accessible and interesting to both specialists and a general reading public. * Leigh Payne, University of Wisconsin-Madison * Provocative and innovative. Important theoretical and empirical work. * <i>A Contra Corriente</i> * A fascinating comparison of the legal systems of the military dictatorships in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. . . . Perhaps the most useful contribution is the basic information it provides about the largely overlooked institutions of authoritiarian judiciaries. * <i>Perspectives on Politics</i> * A new and insightful lens through which to explore regime consolidation through the judiciary, going beyond the traditional focus on societal threat, military cohesion, or economic stewardship. Will be a welcome and informative resource for students and scholars of dictatorship and democratization in Latin America and beyond. * <i>Journal of Latin American Studies</i> * A compelling and accessible comparative account of political justice during the last wave of military rule in South America. This readable book is useful for students and researchers trying to understand how governments can and do limit liberties in the name of security and freedom. * <i>Hispanic American Historical Review</i> *