Performance of the Narcomessages: Panic Rumors in the Cities of Northern Mexico

Authors

  • Andrés Oseguera Escuela de Antropología e Historia del Norte de México

Abstract

This paper analyzes the configuration of liminal spaces in the cities of northern Mexico as a result of the spread of narcomessages as panic rumors in the context of the “war against drug trafficking” (2006-2018). The analysis of this rumors involves getting into social networks and in several journalistic sources to identify trends and the dissemination of the news of dubious origin. In addition, the ethnography is an excellent methodology to verify the incidence of narcomantas in urban spaces. The digital research shows that these rumors of panic are presented as a performance, that is, as part of a dramatization of the violence that is distinguished by its originality, its emotional intensity and its evocative capacity. The performance makes possible the configuration of liminal spaces in the areas of the city, i.e. in spaces that are presented as indefinite, interstitial and dangerous.

Keywords:

Panic rumors, liminal spaces, performance, North of Mexico, narcomenssages