Professor Reuben Zahler studies Latin America from the colonial through modern periods (long nineteenth century), as the region transformed from colonies to independent republics that embraced foreign ideologies of modernity. These issues illuminate the tension between official ideology and the realities of daily life for ordinary men and women, as well as the tensions between law and popular culture, and they resound throughout developing countries to this day. His first book (Ambitious Rebels: Remaking Honor, Law, and Liberalism in Venezuela, 1780-1850) focuses on Venezuelan honor and law in order to understand the complications that arise as a people, with little history of liberal institutions, attempt to adopt civil rights, capitalism, and democracy. His current project focuses on female criminals, particularly women charged with violent crimes such as homicide, assault, and infanticide. This project uncovers two intersecting narratives as Venezuela transformed from colony to independent republic. First, what were the daily challenges of mostly poor and working-class people – how they managed conflicts, sought status, and defended their rights. Second, how did the judicial system play an integral role in these communities as it simultaneously sought to modernize, to build a republican state, and to maintain a patriarchal social order.
Back to Top
