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kchriswell.bsky.social

@kchriswell.bsky.social
36 followers 61 following 10 posts

Assistant Professor at University of Miami | I study crime, violence, and citizen-state relations in Latin America

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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
More to come on this in a larger book project, but there is plenty more case study detail in the WP article. I’ll also be at APSA in a few weeks presenting a chapter.
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Yet elsewhere, citizens partner with the state to address the issue of insecurity. This state-centered contestation matters for democracy - in these places, criminal group presence puts civil society & the state in closer contact, citizens signify their preferences, and exercise their citizenship.
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Citizens avoid engaging the state where there are credible accusations of collusion with criminal groups. The risks outweigh the benefits. As one interviewee explained, “You never know who you’re talking to…with god or the devil…and normally it’s the devil.”
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Groups of citizens can either turn toward or away from the state when contesting. I find that citizens are savvy, weighing the costs and benefits of these options.
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
A robust pre-existing civil society facilitates organizing in response to insecurity. Local business organizations, churches, and local NGOs are a few examples of civil society orgs that play an active role in facilitating organized contestation.
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Using municipal case studies in Mexico, I find that where criminal groups compete for control, citizens have both the desire and the ability to contest. Competition decreases criminal groups’ ability to selectively punish citizens for their contention.
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
When and how do citizens organize to resist criminal groups? I went back to the field this summer to conduct follow-up research. Brief 🧵…In @worldpolitics.bsky.social, I conceptualize three types of community responses: accommodation, state-centered contestation, and nonstate contestation.
Árbol Adentro sculpture in Guadalajara, JaliscoMural of former mayor Carlos Manzo in Uruapan, Michoacán
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Really cool concept for a course!
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Very excited to share my research in the most recent issue of @worldpolitics.bsky.social
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Reposted by kchriswell.bsky.social
Sean Paul Ashley @regimes.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Excited to finally share my 🚨 new article 🚨 now online at @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social “The Dark Side of Defection: Security Force Defectors and the Aftermath of Nonviolent Revolutions. academic.oup.com/jpr/advance-.... Brief 🧵
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kchriswell.bsky.social @kchriswell.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Neighbor! Big congrats, and let me know if I can help with the transition to Miami
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