"The State is Coming": The Emotional Content of State Formation through a Colombian Coca Substitution Program.

This article examines how the Colombian state seeks to establish popular recognition and symbolic power as "The State" through the experiences and emotions of rural citizens in Briceño, a village transitioning from decades of armed group control under the 2016 peace agreement. Focusing on the coca substitution program—a key state initiative aimed at replacing illicit coca cultivation with legal alternatives—the study reveals how local desires for peace and progress coexist with feelings of betrayal, mistrust, confusion, and impotence due to program delays and outsourcing to multiple contractors. These contradictory emotions shape local imaginations of the state, complicating the development of its symbolic power and legitimacy. The article highlights that state formation in modern contexts involves pre-existing ideas of the state and the challenges posed by outsourced service delivery, which can undermine citizens’ trust and willingness to engage with state institutions. Ultimately, it argues that the emotional and everyday experiences of ordinary people are central to whether the state achieves recognized authority and consent.