Collective actions of punitive violence in recent Argentina

Abstract

This article offers a series of preliminary observations about the phenomenon of the small (and sometimes not so small) demonstrations carried out by families and neighbours of the victims of different crimes in a variety of actions which appealed to “justice by our own hand” in Argentina between 1997 and 2008. First we look at the conceptual definition of this type of action, reviewing the principal positions in this respect. Secondly, we focus the analysis on the principal characteristics presented by the phenomenon in Argentina. We conclude with some reflections on how it should be understood.