Matthew Carlin

This workshop is focused on developing a better understanding of the affects that different forms of the representation of violence in Mexico have on our understanding of organized crime. Specifically, this workshop will bring together an international group of cultural anthropologists who are currently researching different aspects of violence in Mexico in order to discuss and debate the different ways that this violence has been regulated and framed through different mediatic forms of representation from 2006 to the present day. The representation of this violence has taken the form of statistics, photographs, videos, and stories with cartels, self-defence groups, local police forces, and the federal military all utilizing specific imagery and technology in order to present and represent the violence currently occurring throughout the country. The goal of this workshop will be to analyze these representations in term of their affects, while developing new anthropological theory that will allow us to better understand what the confluence between social media and violence and it’s associated forms of representation tell us about the contemporary political reality of Mexico