Gorgeous Monster- The Arts of Governing and Managing Violence in Contemporary Bogotá

This book contributes to a better understanding of governmental attempts tomanage violence, a particularly sensitive phenomenon affecting contemporarysocieties. At the same time, it gives a feel for life and governance in urbanColombia. At the outset of the 21st century, the Colombian capital shiftedfrom a city frequently described as one of the most violent places in LatinAmerica, to a city increasingly seen as an exemplary case of violence reductionfor other cities in the region. This book inquires into such a historictransformation. It, navigates through various settings including academiccircles, municipal offices, multilateral agencies and daily urban scenes. Indoing so, it renders the Colombian capital as the locale for processes ofcreating, adopting, and circulating a model of intervention for reducing violence.It sheds light on local and extra-local dynamics that rest behind therecent metamorphosis of the Colombian capital.Gorgeous Monster is directed towards scholars in Latin American Studies,Cultural Studies, Urban Studies, and Anthropology. It is particularly appealingto those engaged in ongoing debates about ethnography. It is also addressedto those interested in contemporary Colombia, violence management, and urbangovernance, as well as to anybody engaged in policy-making.