Narco-propaganda in the Mexican "drug war": An anthropological perspective

Abstract

Organized crime and drug-related violence are major threats to the Mexican state and civil society. An anthropological study of the narco-propaganda (orchestrated acts of violence, videos, graffiti, signs and banners, blogs, narcocorridos, and control of the mass media) wielded by Mexican drug "cartels" suggests that, rather than just a form of criminal behavior, it is the quasi-ideological expression of criminal organizations that, along with their police, military, and politician allies, control vast territories and have taken on many functions of the state. These organizations should therefore be treated analytically as political entities and their narco-propaganda as a powerful new form of political discourse. © 2014 Latin American Perspectives.