Masculinities on the Continuum of Structural Violence: The Case of Mexico’s Homicide Epidemic

Abstract

Through the theoretical lens of a “violence continuum” we explore how, in many of the most marginalized areas of Mexico, global and regional historical and contemporary structures have shaped and constrained men’s ability to achieve the hegemonic masculinity of neoliberal Mexico. An analysis of statistics and local research studies on male homicide is used to understand how impoverishment and extreme inequality can undermine men’s capacity to access a dignified standard of living and exercise their masculinity, in the process of which many draw on interpersonal violence as a resource for respect and manhood.

Nature and Perception of Sexist Humor at Great Zimbabwe University

“…The symbolic power of a gender structure, which consigns women to separate spaces and enforces their submission, obliges men to reinforce their superior position by fulfilling their primary masculine obligation of providing for and protecting the family. This can be located in the context of the structural violence theory which states that structural violence is a result of the power structures embedded in social structures or institutions which cause harm to people in a way that results in deprivation (Gamlin & Hawkes, 2017). Its general formula is power and inequality and, according to anthropologists Scheper-Hughes and Bourgois (2004), forms of structural and indirect violence often begin with “assaults on the personhood, dignity, sense of worth, or value of the victim”.…”

‘Cheap Merchandise’: Atrocity and Undocumented Migrants in Transit in Mexico’s War on Drugs

“…Second, neoliberal policies have failed to generate jobs or increase wages. On the contrary, these economic policies have ‘led to a deterioration of essential services and economic conditions, resulting in the exclusion of large sectors of the population from education and employment opportunities’ (Gamlin and Hawkes, 2018: 52). Thus, the ‘mass of unemployed or underemployed in Mexico’ has ‘constituted a perfect supply of desperate labor for the cartels’ (Mercille, 2011: 1642).…”

“…Thus, the ‘mass of unemployed or underemployed in Mexico’ has ‘constituted a perfect supply of desperate labor for the cartels’ (Mercille, 2011: 1642). As Gamlin and Hawkes (2018: 52) argue:The more than seven million young Mexicans between the ages of 16 and 29. . .…”

La sociedad civil chilpancigueña en la contención y prevención de las violencias. Un estudio de caso

“…Se trata de hombres que matan a otros hombres. 6 En este sentido, también se ha estudiado la relación entre el aumento de homicidios y crecimiento del crimen organizado por el narcotráfico (Figueroa y Martínez, 2013;Gamlin y Hawkes, 2018). Estos autores abordan cómo el modelo económico neoliberal es causa de la violencia y escasez de oportunidades de trabajo en México, especialmente en el suroeste del país (Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas).…”