Sonja Wolf
Biographic Data
| ID | 3661519 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sonja Wolf |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sonja |
| FAMILY NAME | Wolf |
| SIGNATURE | WOLF S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6090-7830 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 43 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
State of Emergency
Nayib Bukele’s presidency has transformed El Salvador into an electoral autocracy by systematically dismantling democratic institutions, subverting the constitution, and consolidating power under his New Ideas party. In response, grassroots collectives of victims’ families engage in quiet, poignant acts of defiance, preserving memory and demanding accountability within a highly restrictive civic space.
El Salvador Under Nayib Bukele: The Turn to Electoral Authoritarianism
A Populist President Tests El Salvador’s Democracy
In June 2019, Nayib Bukele, a former mayor affiliated with the former guerrilla movement FMLN, became president of El Salvador at the head of a new party allied with a splinter faction of the right-wing ARENA party. Capitalizing on the corruption scandals that tainted the two major parties, the youthful businessman rode to victory on an anti-sleaze platform. He has made Twitter his government’s main communications platform, using symbolic politic…
Urban Violence: Maras , Meanings, and Murders
This essay reviews the following works:Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence–and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets. By Thomas Abt. New York: Basic Books, 2019. Pp. 304. $15.99 paperback. ISBN: 9781733623728
Talking to Migrants: Invisibility, Vulnerability, and Protection
Individuals and families are being displaced from the Northern Triangle of Central America by structural and physical violence. Clandestine migration increases the invisibility of forced migrants and makes them difficult to access for researchers. Gatekeepers perceive or depict forced migrants as vulnerable populations and often deny investigators access to them, arguing that traumatised people should not be asked to retell their stories and be r…
Spoilers of the Peace: Elites and the News Media in El Salvador (1992-2019)
Postwar El Salvador’s media sector has grown and diversified, particularly with the rise in digital news outlets. However, media ownership remains concentrated in the hands of a few powerful business groups whose commercial pursuits prevail over the public interest. Although media corporations benefit from generous advertising budgets, they have proved complicit with successive governments, irrespective of the party in power. The little investiga…
Refugee Identity and Integration in Mexico: The Habesha Project
Chronicles of Everyday Lawlessness
A vivid account of the criminal violence ravaging Central America shows why many migrants have fled to the United States—and how Washington's policies are deeply implicated in their plight
Mano Dura: The Politics of Gang Control in El Salvador
In 1992, at the end of a twelve-year civil war, El Salvador was poised for a transition to democracy. Yet, after longstanding dominance by a small oligarchy that continually used violence to repress popular resistance, El Salvador's democracy has proven to be a fragile one, as social ills (poverty chief among them) have given rise to neighborhoods where gang activity now thrives. Mano Dura examines the ways in which the ruling ARENA party used ga…
Pacification or Escalation in El Salvador’s Gang Territories: Despite efforts to design a more effective and humane security policy in El Salvador, the mano dura (iron fist) strategy continues to rule
An alleged gang member is handcuffed by a special antigang unit during a night raid in Soyapango, a municipality bordering the capital of San Salvador. JAN SOCHORIn May 2017, Jaime Martinez, the di
Gangs, drugs, and the state: Violence and survival at the margins of Latin America
Drugs, Violence, and Corruption: Perspectives from Mexico and Central America
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Formal and Informal Security Governance in the Americas
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between hope and despair
Voted into power in the first democratic elections held in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the government of Joseph Kabila has presided since 2006 over a nation that remains plagued by recurring violence, pervasive corruption, and stuttering development. Independent journalist Michael Deibert's second book follows earlier journalistic and academic works that sought to make sense of the instability afflicting the DRC. This volume offers an…
Adiós Niño: The Gangs of Guatemala City and the Politics of Death - by Levenson, Deborah T
Central American Street Gangs: Their Role in Communities and Prisons
Territories of Violence: State, Marginal Youth, and Public Security in Honduras, by Lirio Gutiérrez Rivera. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.– Adiós Niño: The Gangs of Guatemala City and the Politics of Death, by Deborah T. Levenson. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2013.– The Rule of Law in Central America: Citizens’ Reactions to Crime and Punishment, by Mary Fran T. Malone. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2012.– V…
Criminal Networks in Mexico and Central America: Dynamics and Responses
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Policing Crime in El Salvador
El Salvador'sPandilleros Calmados: The Challenges of Contesting Mano Dura through Peer Rehabilitation and Empowerment
In 2003, the Government of El Salvador launchedPlan Mano Durato curb urban violence and homicides, most of which had been attributed to street gangs. Domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) criticised the measure for its repressive nature and the neglect of the wider policies for prevention and rehabilitation, and sought to promote the implementation of alternative gang control. Drawing on ethnographic research in Homies Unidos-El Salvador…
Mara Salvatrucha: The Most Dangerous Street Gang in the Americas
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), founded in 1980s Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrant youth, is today one of the largest street gangs in North and Central America. In recent years the group has acquired a reputation for extreme brutality and has ostensibly mutated into a fast-expanding, transnational organized crime network with possible ties to international terrorists. Drawing on key concepts in gang research and multiple methodological tools, this ar…
Peace without Justice: Violence, Marginality, and the Struggle to Build a New El Salvador
Maras transnacionales: Origins and Transformations of Central American Street Gangs
Maras transnacionales:Origins and Transformations of Central American Street Gangs Sonja Wolf (bio) De los Maras a los Zetas: Los secretos del narcotráfico, de Colombia a Chicago. By Jorge Fernández Menéndez and Víctor Ronquillo. Mexico City: Grijalbo/Mondadori, 2006. Pp. 290. MX$199 paper. Hoy te toca la muerte: El imperio de las Maras visto desde dentro. By Marco Lara Klahr. Mexico City: Editorial Planeta, 2006, Pp. 346. $23.66 paper. Ruta tran…
Subverting Democracy: Elite Rule and the Limits to Political Participation in Post-War El Salvador
After decades of authoritarianism and a twelve-year civil war ended by a negotiated peace agreement in 1992, El Salvador is a markedly different country. Despite important changes, however, public institutions have remained largely unresponsive, acute social exclusion persists and violent crime has soared. Rather than the possibly inevitable by-products of a post-conflict situation, these and other developments are the consequences of a regressio…
Mara Salvatrucha: The Most Dangerous Street Gang in the Americas
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), founded in 1980s Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrant youth, is today one of the largest street gangs in North and Central America. In recent years the group has acquired a reputation for extreme brutality and has ostensibly mutated into a fast-expanding, transnational organized crime network with possible ties to international terrorists. Drawing on key concepts in gang research and multiple methodological tools, this ar…
Subverting Democracy: Elite Rule and the Limits to Political Participation in Post-War El Salvador
After decades of authoritarianism and a twelve-year civil war ended by a negotiated peace agreement in 1992, El Salvador is a markedly different country. Despite important changes, however, public institutions have remained largely unresponsive, acute social exclusion persists and violent crime has soared. Rather than the possibly inevitable by-products of a post-conflict situation, these and other developments are the consequences of a regressio…
El Salvador Under Nayib Bukele: The Turn to Electoral Authoritarianism
Talking to Migrants: Invisibility, Vulnerability, and Protection
Individuals and families are being displaced from the Northern Triangle of Central America by structural and physical violence. Clandestine migration increases the invisibility of forced migrants and makes them difficult to access for researchers. Gatekeepers perceive or depict forced migrants as vulnerable populations and often deny investigators access to them, arguing that traumatised people should not be asked to retell their stories and be r…
El Salvador'sPandilleros Calmados: The Challenges of Contesting Mano Dura through Peer Rehabilitation and Empowerment
In 2003, the Government of El Salvador launchedPlan Mano Durato curb urban violence and homicides, most of which had been attributed to street gangs. Domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) criticised the measure for its repressive nature and the neglect of the wider policies for prevention and rehabilitation, and sought to promote the implementation of alternative gang control. Drawing on ethnographic research in Homies Unidos-El Salvador…
Drugs, Violence, and Corruption: Perspectives from Mexico and Central America
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Central American Street Gangs: Their Role in Communities and Prisons
Territories of Violence: State, Marginal Youth, and Public Security in Honduras, by Lirio Gutiérrez Rivera. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.– Adiós Niño: The Gangs of Guatemala City and the Politics of Death, by Deborah T. Levenson. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2013.– The Rule of Law in Central America: Citizens’ Reactions to Crime and Punishment, by Mary Fran T. Malone. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2012.– V…
Subverting Democracy: Elite Rule and the Limits to Political Participation in Post-War El Salvador
After decades of authoritarianism and a twelve-year civil war ended by a negotiated peace agreement in 1992, El Salvador is a markedly different country. Despite important changes, however, public institutions have remained largely unresponsive, acute social exclusion persists and violent crime has soared. Rather than the possibly inevitable by-products of a post-conflict situation, these and other developments are the consequences of a regressio…
Maras transnacionales: Origins and Transformations of Central American Street Gangs
Maras transnacionales:Origins and Transformations of Central American Street Gangs Sonja Wolf (bio) De los Maras a los Zetas: Los secretos del narcotráfico, de Colombia a Chicago. By Jorge Fernández Menéndez and Víctor Ronquillo. Mexico City: Grijalbo/Mondadori, 2006. Pp. 290. MX$199 paper. Hoy te toca la muerte: El imperio de las Maras visto desde dentro. By Marco Lara Klahr. Mexico City: Editorial Planeta, 2006, Pp. 346. $23.66 paper. Ruta tran…
Peace without Justice: Violence, Marginality, and the Struggle to Build a New El Salvador
Policing Crime in El Salvador
El Salvador'sPandilleros Calmados: The Challenges of Contesting Mano Dura through Peer Rehabilitation and Empowerment
In 2003, the Government of El Salvador launchedPlan Mano Durato curb urban violence and homicides, most of which had been attributed to street gangs. Domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) criticised the measure for its repressive nature and the neglect of the wider policies for prevention and rehabilitation, and sought to promote the implementation of alternative gang control. Drawing on ethnographic research in Homies Unidos-El Salvador…
Mara Salvatrucha: The Most Dangerous Street Gang in the Americas
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), founded in 1980s Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrant youth, is today one of the largest street gangs in North and Central America. In recent years the group has acquired a reputation for extreme brutality and has ostensibly mutated into a fast-expanding, transnational organized crime network with possible ties to international terrorists. Drawing on key concepts in gang research and multiple methodological tools, this ar…
Criminal Networks in Mexico and Central America: Dynamics and Responses
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Central American Street Gangs: Their Role in Communities and Prisons
Territories of Violence: State, Marginal Youth, and Public Security in Honduras, by Lirio Gutiérrez Rivera. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.– Adiós Niño: The Gangs of Guatemala City and the Politics of Death, by Deborah T. Levenson. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2013.– The Rule of Law in Central America: Citizens’ Reactions to Crime and Punishment, by Mary Fran T. Malone. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2012.– V…
Formal and Informal Security Governance in the Americas
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between hope and despair
Voted into power in the first democratic elections held in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the government of Joseph Kabila has presided since 2006 over a nation that remains plagued by recurring violence, pervasive corruption, and stuttering development. Independent journalist Michael Deibert's second book follows earlier journalistic and academic works that sought to make sense of the instability afflicting the DRC. This volume offers an…
Adiós Niño: The Gangs of Guatemala City and the Politics of Death - by Levenson, Deborah T
Gangs, drugs, and the state: Violence and survival at the margins of Latin America
Drugs, Violence, and Corruption: Perspectives from Mexico and Central America
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Chronicles of Everyday Lawlessness
A vivid account of the criminal violence ravaging Central America shows why many migrants have fled to the United States—and how Washington's policies are deeply implicated in their plight
Mano Dura: The Politics of Gang Control in El Salvador
In 1992, at the end of a twelve-year civil war, El Salvador was poised for a transition to democracy. Yet, after longstanding dominance by a small oligarchy that continually used violence to repress popular resistance, El Salvador's democracy has proven to be a fragile one, as social ills (poverty chief among them) have given rise to neighborhoods where gang activity now thrives. Mano Dura examines the ways in which the ruling ARENA party used ga…
Pacification or Escalation in El Salvador’s Gang Territories: Despite efforts to design a more effective and humane security policy in El Salvador, the mano dura (iron fist) strategy continues to rule
An alleged gang member is handcuffed by a special antigang unit during a night raid in Soyapango, a municipality bordering the capital of San Salvador. JAN SOCHORIn May 2017, Jaime Martinez, the di
Refugee Identity and Integration in Mexico: The Habesha Project
Spoilers of the Peace: Elites and the News Media in El Salvador (1992-2019)
Postwar El Salvador’s media sector has grown and diversified, particularly with the rise in digital news outlets. However, media ownership remains concentrated in the hands of a few powerful business groups whose commercial pursuits prevail over the public interest. Although media corporations benefit from generous advertising budgets, they have proved complicit with successive governments, irrespective of the party in power. The little investiga…
A Populist President Tests El Salvador’s Democracy
In June 2019, Nayib Bukele, a former mayor affiliated with the former guerrilla movement FMLN, became president of El Salvador at the head of a new party allied with a splinter faction of the right-wing ARENA party. Capitalizing on the corruption scandals that tainted the two major parties, the youthful businessman rode to victory on an anti-sleaze platform. He has made Twitter his government’s main communications platform, using symbolic politic…
Urban Violence: Maras , Meanings, and Murders
This essay reviews the following works:Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence–and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets. By Thomas Abt. New York: Basic Books, 2019. Pp. 304. $15.99 paperback. ISBN: 9781733623728
Talking to Migrants: Invisibility, Vulnerability, and Protection
Individuals and families are being displaced from the Northern Triangle of Central America by structural and physical violence. Clandestine migration increases the invisibility of forced migrants and makes them difficult to access for researchers. Gatekeepers perceive or depict forced migrants as vulnerable populations and often deny investigators access to them, arguing that traumatised people should not be asked to retell their stories and be r…
El Salvador Under Nayib Bukele: The Turn to Electoral Authoritarianism
State of Emergency
Nayib Bukele’s presidency has transformed El Salvador into an electoral autocracy by systematically dismantling democratic institutions, subverting the constitution, and consolidating power under his New Ideas party. In response, grassroots collectives of victims’ families engage in quiet, poignant acts of defiance, preserving memory and demanding accountability within a highly restrictive civic space.
Political science (22 works) · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance (14 works) · Law (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Criminology (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · Art (6 works) · Democracy (5 works) · Law (5 works) · History (4 works)