The insured inequality: an ethnography of private security in Guatemala

Abstract

A long and brutal civil war in the second half of the 20th century did not eliminate Guatemala’s deep-rooted and enduring economic, racial, and ethnic divisions. It also left the country with a legacy of violence, as well as soldiers and officers trained in the use of weapons. Many of them joined a thriving private security industry in the 1990s and 2000s. In the aftermath of the war, Guatemala emerged as a “pioneer” in private security, boasting one of the world’s largest private security forces per capita. Who are these officers, commonly referred to as “polis”? Where do they come from? How are they selected and trained, and what challenges do they face on a daily basis? This essay draws on qualitative fieldwork, including interviews with guards, supervisors, and company owners, to develop an updated profile of a powerful experiment in the privatization of security. In this text, I show that, in addition to surviving on meager wages, working long hours, and facing a high risk of injury, private security guards must learn to demonstrate deference to their clients in a way that protects both their clients’ physical integrity and their social class status from any threat.