| Summary: | Nicholas Copeland sheds new light on rural politics in Guatemala & across neoliberal and post-conflict settings in 'The Democracy Development Machine'. This historical ethnography examines how governmentalized spaces of democracy & development fell short, enabling & disfiguring an ethnic Mayan resurgence. In a passionate & politically engaged work, Copeland argues that the transition to democracy in Guatemalan Mayan communities has led to a troubling paradox. He finds that while liberal democracy is celebrated in most of the world as the ideal, it can subvert political desires & channel them into illiberal spaces. As a result, Copeland explores alternative ways of imagining liberal democracy & economic & social amelioration in a traumatized & highly unequal society as it strives to transition from war & authoritarian rule to open elections & free-market democracy
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