“Nightwatch is an elegantly crafted and important book that deserves a readership that extends far beyond the confines of Latin American anthropology and Peruvian studies. It successfully meshes a gripping narrative with an engaging discussion of key themes, ranging from the nature of fieldwork to peasant resistance and globalisation. More important, it brings to light one of the most important Latin American peasant movements of the twentieth century, until now overshadowed by the dramatic impact of the Shining Path on Peru.” — Paulo Drinot, Left History
“[A] sensitive, wide-ranging account of one of the largest recent popular grassroots movements in Latin America. . . .” — Stuart Rockefeller , American Ethnologist
“[A]n important commentary on the self-empowerment of a peasantry recently freed from serfdom on haciendas and their creation of what is characterized as the most important massive movement in recent Peruvian history.” — S. L. Rozman, Choice
“[A]n in-depth account. . . . This masterful work is captivating and honest, filled with engaging anecdotes yet analytically informed by classic and recent theoretical works. . . . Nightwatch is an extensive and impressive study of the rondas of the north.” — Jennifer S. Holmes , Latin American Research Review
“[E]ngagingly written. . . . Nightwatch provides a most interesting mix of people, institutions, and culture that makes it a very worthwhile read. Numerous photos breathe even more life into the written word.” — Ward Stavig , The Historian
“[W]ritten in an accessible and engaging style . . . interestingly enlivened with photographs, drawings, and quotations from songs popular among the villagers. . . . [H]ighly recommended both to Andean specialists and to others interested in relations between villagers and the modern state. The combination of clarity of exposition and respect for complexity makes it an excellent text for readers at all levels from bright undergraduate to professional practitioner.” — Ray Abrahams , Cambridge Anthropology
“Against the blemished backdrop of anthropology, Nightwatch stands as evidence of [Starn’s] own thoughtful striving for disciplinary renewal.” — Andrew Orta , Anthropological Quarterly
“Orin Starn tells the story well, with compelling ethnography drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in the region, but the work is also theoretically sophisticated and historically informed. In the best tradition of political anthropology, the dialogue between detailed local knowledge and the national and international political contexts in which these developments took place is never forgotten. . . . This well-written, accessible account has plenty to engage both the Peruvianist and the more general reader.” — Penelope Harvey , Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
“This is an excellent book, exceptionally well-written, provocative and challenging and a must read for the layman or specialist interested in the dynamics of the Andean world.” — Roger P. Davis , South Eastern Latin Americanist
"Nightwatch is highly engaging and well written, with a tight narrative structure . . . and evocative fluid prose." — Peter Wogan , Identities
“Nightwatch is an engaging, elegant, and enlightening account of one of the most important rural movements to emerge from Latin America since the 1960s. Orin Starn writes in direct and artfully crafted prose informed at the same time by the most up to date theoretical debates. This book will be of great interest not just to those who care about Peru and Latin America but also to scholars across anthropology, cultural studies, political science, and history.” — Arturo Escobar, author of Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World
“A wonderful tool. This volume offers a wealth of resources from a range of critical perspectives.” — Steven Mailloux, University of California, Irvine