Tag: Mexico

• Light reading turned heavy

  I brought one book with me, on my semester of research in Mexico City. This was an act of severe self-discipline, and resulted in me leaving a couple of half-read volumes on my shelf in Brooklyn. The book that made the cut was Francisco Goldman’s The Interior Circuit: A Mexico City Chronicle. Goldman splits his time…

  philipljohnson

  May 30, 2018

  Books & films

  Ayotzinapa, books, Enrique Peña Nieto, Francisco Goldman, Mexico, Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera, violence

• Narco-messages in Mexico City

  About two weeks before I moved to Mexico City to start my field research, a narco-message appeared over a major street in the city. This was a big deal; while thousands of these messages have appeared in cities and towns throughout the country, Mexico City is one of those places in which messages are regarded…

  philipljohnson

  May 7, 2018

  Research

  Enrique Peña Nieto, field work, Francisco Goldman, Mexico, Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera, narco-messages

• The perfect source, and its difficulties

  A core part of my research involves the collection of data on the narcomensajes that have been appearing in Mexico since about 2006. Ideally, that data includes information about where and when the messages appear, contextual information such as whether the messages appear at a crime scene, and a full transcription of each message. There are…

  philipljohnson

  March 19, 2018

  Research

  media, Mexico, Monterrey, narco-messages, violence

• Three billboards outside Cuernavaca

  Soon after arriving in Mexico City to commence field research, I paid a trip to the rather magnificent Cineteca Nacional, a grand cultural complex that brews coffee, sells books, and screens recent films. I went to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and was pretty surprised to find just how closely it connected with the…

  philipljohnson

  March 4, 2018

  Books & films

  Cuernavaca, field work, film, Mexico, narco-messages, police

• Faces and masks

  A recurring concern in most of my research is the relationship between legitimacy and violence. How do armed groups justify their violence? If every armed group – including state agencies – depends upon a degree of local support, why do so many groups engage in risky, potentially costly behaviour, by targeting or preying on civilians?…

  philipljohnson

  December 28, 2017

  Research

  Allen Feldman, concepts, counter/insurgency, face/mask, Judith Butler, Mexico, Northern Ireland, violence