Wie zijn de murenbouwers?: Over terugtrekking als reactie op geweld in Guatemala-Stad

This essay analyses the way people from different social classes in Guatemala City respond to the versatility of dangers, uncertainties and anxieties they tend to live with on a daily basis. More specifically, it focuses on withdrawal, the main theme that arises in this regard. Three forms are distinguished: withdrawal from ’the dangerous other’, nostalgic withdrawal ‘in time’ and withdrawal ‘from the body’. They all build on the same logic, while being fed by the violence and structural violence people are confronted with.