“…Banditry has been subjected to both romantic and realist attempts to construe its meaning. Hence, it has been one of the most widely used concepts in the exploration of crime, conflict, state‐building processes, violence, and atrocities, particularly in the 19th century, when nationalism, industrial revolution, and a new international order set the agenda of major sociopolitical institutions at the national and international level (Arlacchi, ; Beaton, ; Cassia, ; Curott & Fink, ; Esmer, ; Hobsbawm, ; Schneider & Schneider, ). These developments in the 19th century reverberated through the role of bandits, who brought dramatic changes into rural life and challenged state authority at the same time.…”