Listening to Sicarios: Narcoviolence in Ciudad Juarez, 2008-2012

The book "Listening to Sicarios" provides unique insights into the lives of paid assassins of Mexico's drug trafficking syndicates, analyzing their interpretations of their actions across four thematic axes: border infrastructures, youth and responsibility, masculinity and sentiment, and ethics. It argues that sicarios follow a career path within a robust criminal corporate infrastructure, understand youthful innocence in relation to adult accountability, express feelings of power and fear, and defend their personal integrity in the face of public discourse.

Format: Hardback
Length: 125 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Listening to Sicarios offers unique insights into the lives of paid assassins working for Mexico's drug trafficking syndicates, providing a firsthand perspective from the assassins themselves. Drawing from an extraordinary series of ethnographic interviews conducted in the aftermath of the record levels of narcoviolence experienced in Ciudad Juárez between 2008 and 2012, this study delves into 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.

The study argues that sicarios operate within a robust criminal corporate infrastructure, particularly prevalent in Mexican border cities. It further explores how sicarios comprehend the concept of youthful innocence in the context of adult accountability in the realm of violence often perpetrated by young men against other young men. Additionally, it examines the expressions of power and fear that sicarios experience, which may enhance their sense of virility, as well as feelings of regret and weakness that imply vulnerability.

Furthermore, the study examines how sicarios defend their personal integrity in the face of a public discourse that often portrays their actions as savage. By shedding light on the perspectives and experiences of these paid assassins, Listening to Sicarios provides a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics and moral dilemmas that shape their lives.

Weight: 317g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030941178
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022