Listening to Sicarios : narcoviolence in Ciudad Juárez, 2008-2012 / Arturo Chacón Castañón, Robert McKee Irwin.
Listening to Sicarios presents new insights into the lives of paid assassins of Mexicos drug trafficking syndicates from the perspectives of the assassins themselves. Based on an extraordinary series of ethnographic interviews carried out in the wake of the record levels of narcoviolence experienced...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cham :
Palgrave Macmillan,
[2022]
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| Series: | New directions in Latino American cultures.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Springer Humanities and Social Science eBook Collection 2022 English/International |
| Summary: | Listening to Sicarios presents new insights into the lives of paid assassins of Mexicos drug trafficking syndicates from the perspectives of the assassins themselves. Based on an extraordinary series of ethnographic interviews carried out in the wake of the record levels of narcoviolence experienced in Ciudad Juarez between 2008 and 2012, this study analyzes the ways in which these young men interpret their actions across four key thematic axes: border infrastructures, youth and responsibility, masculinity and sentiment, and ethics: good vs. evil. It argues that sicarios follow a career path within a criminal corporate infrastructure that is especially robust in Mexican border cities. It also explores how sicarios understand youthful innocence in relation to adult accountability in the realm of violence that is frequently meted out by young men on other young men. It then analyzes sicarios expressions of feelings of power that may boost their sense of virility, as well as feelings of fear and regret that imply weakness. Finally, it examines how sicarios defend their personal integrity in the face of a public discourse that views their acts as savage. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 3030941175 9783030941178 3030941183 9783030941185 |