German Police Assistance in Latin America (1949 - 1989): Scope, Practices and Transnational Entanglements

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Markus-Michael Müller
• Subject Area: African, American and Oceania Studies ; Criminology ; Political Science
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 371820301

The project addresses the role of German police assistance in modernizing Latin American police institutions during the Cold War. The project seeks to analyze the scope and practices, as well as the local impact and transnational entanglements of German police assistance for Latin American countries between 1949 and 1989. By moving beyond the nearly exclusive focus on the role of US police assistance in the region, this project makes an original contribution to Latin American Studies and Police History. To this end, the project will document the scope and practices of German-Latin American police cooperation, and analyze the local impact and the transnational entanglements resulting from German Police aid during the Cold War. Methodologically, the research will tap into German and Latin American archives and interview former participants of German police assistance programs on both continents. By generating original insights into the historical precedents of contemporary police assistance programs and their domestic repercussions, the project will provide new knowledge that can influence the further development of international police missions and stimulate further research.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants