The U.S.–Mexico border is frequently presented by contemporary media as a violent and dangerous place. But that is not a new perception. For decades the border has been constructed as a topographic metaphor for all forms of illegality, in which an ineffable link between space and violence is somehow assumed. The sociological and cultural implications of violence have recently emerged at the forefront of academic discussions about the border. And yet few studies have been devoted to one of its most disturbing manifestations: gender violence. This book analyzes this pervasive phenomenon, including the femicides in Ciudad Juárez that have come to exemplify, at least for the media, its most extreme manifestation. Contributors to this volume propose that the study of gender-motivated violence requires interpretive and analytical strategies that draw on methods reaching across the divide between the social sciences and the humanities. Through such an interdisciplinary conversation, the book examines how such violence is (re)presented in oral narratives, newspaper reports, films and documentaries, novels, TV series, and legal discourse. It also examines the role that the media have played in this process, as well as the legal initiatives that might address this pressing social problem. Together these essays offer a new perspective on the implications of, and connections between, gendered forms of violence and topics such as mechanisms of social violence, the micro-social effects of economic models, the asymmetries of power in local, national, and transnational configurations, and the particular rhetoric, aesthetics, and ethics of discourses that represent violence.

Documents the confirmed murders of more than 300 women in the border city of Juâarez, Mexico, as well as reports of hundreds of missing women, traces the work of the Mexican police, and speculates on who is behind the attacks.

For more than twelve years the Mexican border city of Juâarez has been the center of an epidemic of horrific crimes against women and girls: kidnappings, rape, mutilation, and murder, with most of the victims conforming to a specific profile--young, slender, and poor. Speculation that the killer or killers are American citizens has led the U.S. government to send in criminal profilers from the FBI, but little real information about this international atrocity has emerged. As of 2006 more than 400 bodies have been recovered, with hundreds still missing. Among the theories being considered are illegal trafficking in human organs, ritualistic satanic sacrifices, copycat killers, and a conspiracy between members of the powerful Juâarez drug cartel and some corrupt Mexican officials who have turned a blind eye to the felonies. This book is the first to examine the brutal killings and draw attention to these atrocities on the border.--From publisher description.Documents the confirmed murders of more than 300 women in the border city of Juâarez, Mexico, as well as reports of hundreds of missing women, traces the work of the Mexican police, and speculates on who is behind the attacks.

Product Description: Explosive book exposes the Mexican killing fields that claimed the lives of hundreds of women at the Juarez, Mexico border. The author's dangerous investigation reveals high-level corruption, a drug cartel run amok and more. Hollywood took note and produced a movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas...read more