Tears, Trauma and Suicide: Everyday Violence among Street Youth in Puebla, Mexico

Despite considerable ethnographic research with young people in street situations and a growing interest in violence, little attention has been paid to suicide. The occurrence of suicide is a dramatic event that reveals weaknesses in support systems established by governments and civil society organ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of Latin American research 2007-10, Vol.26 (4), p.462-479
Main Authors: JONES, GARETH A., HERRERA, ELSA, THOMAS DE BENÍTEZ, SARAH
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil society
Conversation
Ethnographic research
Ethnography
Everyday Life
Gangs
Killing
Latin American culture
Latin American studies
Mexico
Religion
Repression
Santa Muerte
School violence
Street children
street youth
Suicidal ideation
Suicide
Trauma
Violence
Youth
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Summary:Despite considerable ethnographic research with young people in street situations and a growing interest in violence, little attention has been paid to suicide. The occurrence of suicide is a dramatic event that reveals weaknesses in support systems established by governments and civil society organisations, as well as perceived failings of friends. While an interest in suicide usually considers cause, in this paper we explore effect. How does the death of a member of a tightly knit group of street youth affect others and what does the suicide tell us about their identification with death more generally? Research for the paper was part of an in-depth study of identities among street youth in Mexico.
ISSN:0261-3050
1470-9856
DOI:10.1111/j.1470-9856.2007.00237.x