Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico
The violence experienced in different regions of Mexico, and which has been exacerbated particularly in the State of Michoacán, has triggered the formation of the so-called self-defense groups. The aim of this paper was to analyze the characteristics of the emergence and operation of activities of s...
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Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas
2015
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Fuentes-Díaz, Antonio |
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Fuentes-Díaz, Antonio Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico |
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Fuentes-Díaz, Antonio |
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Fuentes-Díaz, Antonio |
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Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico |
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Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico |
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Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico |
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Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico |
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Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico |
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drug trafficking and community self-defense in “tierra caliente”, michoacan, mexico |
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The violence experienced in different regions of Mexico, and which has been exacerbated particularly in the State of Michoacán, has triggered the formation of the so-called self-defense groups. The aim of this paper was to analyze the characteristics of the emergence and operation of activities of self-defense in the communities of the Ruana and Tepalcatepec, located in the region known as Tierra Caliente, in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. Data presented in the article were obtained from two fieldwork trips made during 2014, where eleven people were interviewed: two members of the movement of self-defense and nine political and social leaders of the communities. Evidence was also collected at a public meeting, where five leaders of the self-defense groups participated. The results reveal that the formation of community self-defense groups was triggered by the breakdown in the local order. Such breakdown was caused by a new form of operation of drug trafficking groups, based on extortion revenue and an excessive control over the region, which in turn had an influence on the balance of local power and tolerance towards illegal activities. The Government’s response was the legalization of these groups through the formation of a rural police force. This new police force has been questioned by members of self-defense groups, who have rejected such a move, holding that such legalization is a replacement of beneficiaries of illegal activities. Self-defense movement refers to a recomposition in the balance of local power relations between drug trafficking, communities and State. It represents a dispute for the establishment of an order that retracts the aggression to the communities and recomposes illegal business operation with new actors and in a less invasive manner.Archive XML (SciELO) |
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Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas |
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2015 |
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https://revistaciencia.uat.edu.mx/index.php/CienciaUAT/article/view/644 |
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AT fuentesdiazantonio drugtraffickingandcommunityselfdefenseintierracalientemichoacanmexico AT fuentesdiazantonio narcotraficoyautodefensacomunitariaentierracalientemichoacanmexico |
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oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article-6442019-10-24T10:01:33Z Drug trafficking and community self-defense in “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacan, Mexico Narcotráfico y autodefensa comunitaria en “Tierra Caliente”, Michoacán, México Fuentes-Díaz, Antonio self-defense group drug trafficking violence Michoacan. autodefensa narcotráfico violencia Michoacán. The violence experienced in different regions of Mexico, and which has been exacerbated particularly in the State of Michoacán, has triggered the formation of the so-called self-defense groups. The aim of this paper was to analyze the characteristics of the emergence and operation of activities of self-defense in the communities of the Ruana and Tepalcatepec, located in the region known as Tierra Caliente, in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. Data presented in the article were obtained from two fieldwork trips made during 2014, where eleven people were interviewed: two members of the movement of self-defense and nine political and social leaders of the communities. Evidence was also collected at a public meeting, where five leaders of the self-defense groups participated. The results reveal that the formation of community self-defense groups was triggered by the breakdown in the local order. Such breakdown was caused by a new form of operation of drug trafficking groups, based on extortion revenue and an excessive control over the region, which in turn had an influence on the balance of local power and tolerance towards illegal activities. The Government’s response was the legalization of these groups through the formation of a rural police force. This new police force has been questioned by members of self-defense groups, who have rejected such a move, holding that such legalization is a replacement of beneficiaries of illegal activities. Self-defense movement refers to a recomposition in the balance of local power relations between drug trafficking, communities and State. It represents a dispute for the establishment of an order that retracts the aggression to the communities and recomposes illegal business operation with new actors and in a less invasive manner.Archive XML (SciELO) La violencia que se vive en diferentes regiones de México, y que se ha agravado, particularmente en el estado de Michoacán, ha desencadenado la organización de los grupos denominados de autodefensa. El objetivo de este artículo fue analizar las características del surgimiento y operación de las actividades de la autodefensa en las comunidades de La Ruana y Tepalcatepec, ubicadas en la región conocida como Tierra Caliente, en el estado de Michoacán, México. La información se obtuvo a partir de dos recorridos de campo realizados durante 2014, en donde se entrevistó a 11 personas: a dos miembros del movimiento de autodefensa y a nueve líderes políticos y sociales de las comunidades, además de testimonios recabados en una reunión pública donde participaron cinco líderes de los grupos de autodefensa. Como resultado de la investigación, se revela que el detonante para la formación de los grupos de defensa comunitaria fue la ruptura en el orden local, ocasionada por una nueva forma de operación de los grupos de narcotráfico, sustentada en la renta extorsiva y un control excesivo de la región, hecho que trastocó el equilibrio de poder local y la tolerancia hacia las actividades ilegales. La respuesta gubernamental fue la legalización de estos grupos a través de la formación de una policía rural. Este nuevo cuerpo policial ha sido cuestionado por parte de los miembros de los grupos de autodefensa que han rechazado tal medida, sosteniendo que dicha legalización constituye un recambio de beneficiarios de las actividades ilegales. El movimiento de autodefensas, refiere a una recomposición en el equilibrio de las relaciones de poder local, entre el narcotráfico, las comunidades y el Estado. Representa una disputa por la instauración de un orden que retraiga la agresión a las comunidades y recomponga las actividades comerciales ilegales, con nuevos actores y de manera menos cruenta.Archivo XML (SciELO) Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas 2015-12-12 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf text/html application/xml https://revistaciencia.uat.edu.mx/index.php/CienciaUAT/article/view/644 10.29059/cienciauat.v10i1.644 CienciaUAT; Vol. 10 No. 1: July-December 2015; 68-82 CienciaUAT; Vol. 10 No. 1: Julio-Diciembre 2015; 68-82 2007-7858 2007-7521 spa https://revistaciencia.uat.edu.mx/index.php/CienciaUAT/article/view/644/366 https://revistaciencia.uat.edu.mx/index.php/CienciaUAT/article/view/644/531 https://revistaciencia.uat.edu.mx/index.php/CienciaUAT/article/view/644/622 |
