1 COLLECTIVE VIOLENCE AND THE DISSIPATION OF THE STATE Antonio Fuentes Díaz 1 In recent years I have been working on the issue of collective violence in Mexico and Guatemala in the light of neoliberal transformations, observing alterations in the context of the state in both countries, as well as transformations in subjectivity and how this translates into social action. This work focuses on the phenomenon of collective violence called lynching. For the purpose of analysis and definition, I conceive the latter as a collective and punitive action which can be anonymous, spontaneous or organized, ascribed to different levels of ritualization, pursuing physical violence against individuals who have presumably infringed a norm, be it formal or virtual (that is, instituted by collectivity), and are in a situation of considerable numeric inferiority. These acts directly equalize infractions with the physical punishment or death of the offender. My purpose is to address the link between violence and state dissipation, and to examine certain processes which I believe are revealed and called into question by the act of lynching. And, above all, to discuss the autonomous character of collective violence. From the year 1998 onwards, this phenomenon has become more visible in Mexico and has been widely present in the printed and electronic media, while also appearing in different parts of Latin America. In Brazil, for example, according to data provided by the State Secretary for Human Rights, 993 lynching incidents were recorded between 1980 and 1999 (Adorno, 2002: 98). Bolivia has also witnessed a sharp increase in cases of lynching; in the year 2002, 21 episodes were recorded in the city outskirts (Soria, 2004), while Red Andina informs of an estimated 70 cases between 1995 and 1999 in Cochabamba alone; as for Ecuador, research reports of 93 cases between 1995 and 1998 (Carrión, 1998). In Peru, this phenomenon was widely researched and worried upon, especially after the lynching of authorities representing state power; Castillo (2002) mentions 350 lynching incidents between 1995 and 1999, solely in the metropolitan area of Lima and Arequipa. In Guatemala, extralegal violence plays an important role in conflict solution, having a great impact on public opinion especially after the signing of the peace agreements in 1996, and causing the preoccupation of the government and human rights organizations. According to the reports of the United Nations Verification Mission (MINUGUA, 2004), there have been 580 cases between 1996-2003, with a total of 1229 victims. In Mexico, more than 330 cases of lynching or attempted lynching have been reported during the past 20 years. There have also been reports of lynching in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Haiti, Chile, Argentina and El Salvador. 1 Investigator on issues of collective violence and social movements at the Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, México. Mail: programacademico@yahoo.com.mx