“This book is an important read for scholars who are attempting to unpack the discrepancy between the utopian goals and often horrific effects of liberalism. . . [T]his is a thought-provoking analysis of the paradoxes of liberalism from an anthropologist who has spent more than a decade of research in Bolivia. Goodale’s book is an important contribution to critical legal studies and will be read by scholars seeking to gain an ethnographic purchase on the ways in which ideas—liberalism and legalism—materially affect people’s everyday lives.”

Miriam Shakow, American Ethnologist

“Goodale is certainly correct to avoid characterizing the optimistic testimony of marginalized Bolivians as false consciousness. Their very historical invisibility is what makes human rights discourse such an attractive tool of empowerment. The concept of rights is the main marker of citizenship, inclusion, and visibility, and as such it provides the foundation for envisioning oneself as a modern subject capable of struggling for actual equality. How Bolivians will ultimately transform their nation remains to be seen, but Goodale’s book provides a compelling invitation for considering the possibilities. Goodale tells the tale of the idea of the emancipatory potential of law as a phenomenon of modernity. And through this narrative he invites us all to witness the beginning of a fascinating new chapter in Bolivian history.”

Tanya Hernández, Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies