''Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture'' is a 2022 non-fiction book by Oswaldo Zavala. The book is an analysis of the nature of US and Mexican cultural narratives regarding the narcotics trade.

Publication

The book was written by Oswaldo Zavala, a Mexican journalist and a professor of Latin American Literature and Culture at the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

. It was first published by Malpaso in 2018 as . William Savinar's English translation was published in 2022 by

Vanderbilt University Press Vanderbilt University Press is a university press that is part of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Press publishes a variety of scholarly texts, especially in the areas of the humanities and social sciences, health care, and educ ...

.ANÍBAL GÓMEZ, O. Drug Cartels Do Not Exist. Narco-Trafficking and Culture in the US and Mexico. Chasqui (01458973), '' . l.', v. 51, n. 2, p. R29–R31, 2022. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=159559885&site=eds-live&scope=site . Acesso em: 6 jun. 2023.

Synopsis

Focusing on the end of the PRI dictatorship in the late 1990s and the contemporary era, Zavala claims that much of the narrative around narcotics trafficking is based solely in the claims of the US and Mexican governments and various cultural depictions, with little connection to the trade as it exists. Media organizations in both countries have reinforced this by uncritically promoting state narratives regarding the narcotics trade, creating a hegemonic national security myth he calls "That phantom crime ideology". He further argues that academia and journalism in both countries have failed to effectively interrogate the official narratives of both countries, uncritically privileging official sources and beliefs about the narcotics trade despite little supporting evidence. According to Zavala, mainstream institutions have also persistently chosen to ignore and/or belittle local journalists who do effectively critique this, comparing this to the plight of

Gary Webb Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 – December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist. He began his career working for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a reputation for investigative writing. ...

after the publication of his '' Dark Alliance'' series. Analyzing the historical development of the relationship between the narcotics trade and the Mexican and US governments, Zavala also highlights writers and journalists that have contested state narratives on narcotics, which he describes as counterweights to this hegemonic national security narrative. He also describes several high-profile events, such as the capture of

El Chapo EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

in 2016, and points out how the actions of both countries undermine the alleged threat posed by drug traffickers, while local journalism has repeatedly displayed that most violence seen in the Mexican drug war is committed by Mexican security forces. Zavala ultimately directly pins much of the violence observed during the Mexican drug war on Mexican security forces and the militarization justified by these national security narratives.

Critical reception

Osiris Aníbal Gómez of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

described the book as "a defiant investigation", "a rigorous research effort" and "an act of hope."

References

{{Portal bar, Mexico, Crime, Books 2022 non-fiction books Non-fiction books about Mexican drug cartels Mexican drug war