Gangs and governance: Citizenship beyond the state in Jamaica

SPEAKERS: Dr. Rivke Jaffe. Department of Human Geography. Planning and International Development Studies. Universiteit van Amsterdam

DISCUSSANT: Prof. dr. Kees Koonings, CEDLA & Utrecht University

DATE: 25 October 2013

ACTIVITY: CEDLA LECTURE

In inner-city neighbourhoods in Kingston, Jamaica, criminal “dons” have assumed a wide range of governmental functions, from providing security and resolving conflicts to administering welfare and collecting taxes. Rather than viewing these criminal actors as presiding over “parallel states,” it is more accurate to understand them as components of a hybrid state. Criminal organisations share control of urban spaces and populations with politicians, the police, and public officials. This talk explores the implications of this diversification of governmental actors for how residents of downtown Kingston experience and practise citizenship.