Premium
The Narcotrafficker in Representation and Practice: A Cultural Persona from the U.S.–Mexican Border
Author(s) -
Edberg Mark
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
ethos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.783
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1548-1352
pISSN - 0091-2131
DOI - 10.1525/eth.2004.32.2.257
Subject(s) - persona , representation (politics) , articulation (sociology) , narrative , sociology , nexus (standard) , character (mathematics) , ethnography , aesthetics , art , media studies , literature , anthropology , humanities , political science , computer science , law , geometry , mathematics , politics , embedded system
This article proposes a type of cultural model of the self called a “cultural persona” that acts as a nexus between representation and practice, using evidence from ethnographic work in the U.S.–Mexico border region on popular interpretations of the narcotrafficker, particularly as represented via a popular song genre called the “narcocorrido,” and listener interpretations. Narcocorridos, in the form of a traditional border song called the “corrido” that typically portrayed actions of populist heroes (e.g., Pancho Villa), are narratives about the character and exploits of narcotraffickers. The paper looks at both popular and media industry interpretations of the narcotrafficker persona, the articulation of mass media imperatives on the persona, examples of individuals drawing on that persona in their own self‐presentation, and connections between corridos and the self.