Elite, civility and police in Lima, 1850s-1870s

Ríos Rodríguez C.J. · Historia Regional (2026)

Resumen

This article analyzes the relationship between Lima's elite and the expansion of police presence within the city and the influence of the paradigm of civility on the design of the police force between the mid-nineteenth century and the years prior to the outbreak of the War of the Pacific. It draws on traveler memoirs, the press, and normative sources. It argues that the elite's sociability patterns and their growing fears of the popular sectors created a favorable context for the expansion of the police force and the influence of the paradigm of civility on its design. Under this logic, within the elite, it was conceived that the internalization of courtesy and the capacity to contain violent impulses by members of the police force was the ideal means to guarantee the efficient performance of their duties and, consequently, the discipline of the popular sectors.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú