Sovereign Power and Social Control: Discipline and Domination during the Genesis of the Colombian State, 1821-1850

in the understanding that the State is not a simple legal institution by virtue of which the life of a political community is organized and governed, but is, likewise, a power relationship for the purpose of which some individuals seek to impose control and dominance over others, this article describes and analyzes, in a general way, the relationship that was woven between the constitution and institutionalization of the sovereignty of the Colombian State during its gestation stage and the actions that the rulers and legislators took against the diverse and complex social and political situation that was lived during that time. To this end, it is argued that, relying on the sovereign authority that the State should have to dictate what should be done in the face of this situation, these men not only created the mechanisms that they considered necessary and pertinent to face it, but also tried to establish a regime of discipline, control and social domination functional to the interests of some dominant sectors.