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Ciudad Juarez has recently become infamous for its murder rate, which topped 3,000 in 2010 as competing drug cartels grew increasingly violent and the military responded with violence as well. Despite the atmosphere of intimidation by troops, police, and organized criminals, women have led the way in civil society activism, spurring the Juarez Resistance and forging powerful alliances with anti-militarization activists. An in-depth examination of la Resistencia Juarense, Courage, Resistance, and Women in Ciudad Juarez draws on ethnographic research to analyze the resistance's focus on violence against women, as well as its clash with the war against drugs championed by Mexican President Felipe Calderon with the support of the United States. Through grounded insights, the authors trace the transformation of hidden discourses into public discourses that openly challenge the militarized border regimes. The authors also explore the advocacy carried on by social media, faith-based organizations, and peace-and-justice activist Javier Sicilia while Calderon faced U.S. political schisms over the role of border trade in this global manufacturing site. Bringing to light on-the-ground strategies as well as current theories from the fields of sociology, political anthropology, and human rights, this illuminating study is particularly significant because of its emphasis on the role of women in local and transnational attempts to extinguish a hot zone. As they overcome intimidation to become game-changing activists, the figures featured in Courage, Resistance, and Women in Ciudad Juarez offer the possibility of peace and justice in the wake of seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
List of contents
Preface Chapter 1. Introduction: Conceptualizing Courage and Resistance in a Mired Human Rights Context Chapter 2. Historicizing and Contextualizing the Place: Three Historic Junctures Chapter 3. From Fear and Intimidation to Game-Changing Activism Chapter 4. "Fed Up" with Militarization and Murders, via Social Media Chapter 5. Toward Transnational Solidarity: Contesting the Border Narrative in a U.S. Congressional Race, Tribunals, and Faith-Based Activism Chapter 6. South-to-North Solidarity: Sicilia and Peace and Justice Movements at the Border Chapter 7. Conclusion: Reflections on the Possibilities of Post-Conflict Peace and Justice Afterword Appendix 1. Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership: A 10-Point Voluntary Code Appendix 2. Resolution (El Paso City Council) Appendix 3. Resolution (City of Los Angeles) Notes References Index
Summary
This pioneering, timely study of civil society activism in Ciudad Juárez during the first decade of the twenty-first century captures the tenuous new alliances and discourses of resistance (augmented by social media) that have emerged in the face of escal
