The University of Arizona Press
The Rise of Necro/Narco Citizenship
Belonging and Dying in the Southwest North American Region
Carlos G. Vélez-Ibáñez’s latest work, The Rise of Necro/Narco Citizenship investigates the intricate and often harrowing dynamics that define the borderlands between the United States, Mexico, and beyond. This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive cultural, economic, social, and political-ecological analysis, illustrating how various forms of violence and militarization have reshaped the daily lives and identities of the region’s inhabitants. Through meticulous ethnographic fieldwork, extensive archival research, and rigorous statistical data, Vélez-Ibáñez exposes the deeply entrenched networks of exploitation and conflict that have emerged in response to global capitalism’s pressures.
Vélez-Ibáñez builds on theorization about necrocitizenship to introduce the concept of necro/narco citizenship, which argues that pervasive violence and socioeconomic disruptions create a unique form of existence on both sides of the border. The author examines the dislocation of thousands, the persistent threat of violence, and the ways in which these forces compel individuals to navigate a reality steeped in addiction, self-destruction, and civil deterioration. This book reveals the transnational networks and the morally compromised political economies that sustain them, offering readers an unflinching look at the cost of survival in this tumultuous region.
This essential volume is not only a critical addition to the field of anthropology but also an invaluable resource for those interested in the sociopolitical landscape of the U.S.-Mexico border. Vélez-Ibáñez’s insights will resonate with scholars, students, and policymakers alike. The Rise of Necro/Narco Citizenship challenges us to rethink the narratives of violence, militarization, and resistance that define our understanding of the Southwest North American Region.
“The Rise of Necro/Narco Citizenship is a distressing yet essential read. It examines the devaluation of life and production of violence through modern and late modern statecraft and capitalism. Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez renders the U.S.-Mexico border region—its lands, peoples, governments, armed agents and soldiers, drugs, violence, and music—in stunning detail and with historical richness.”—Tobin Hansen, University of Oregon
“I can’t stop thinking about The Rise of Necro/Narco Citizenship. The author reveals the dystopian reality of our world. There is so much here, and it’s not just the terror revealed but also the history and trajectory of an astounding epoch pieced together with truth, humanity, and a narrative that is crucially needed. This is the other side, the other borderlands, that we neglect to see and confront.”—Roberto Alvarez, University of California, San Diego
“This book redefines our understanding of the shared impacts of policy focused on militarization in both the United States and Mexico. Dr. Vélez-Ibáñez, through fine-grained analysis, shows how militarization and its attendant violence upend lives and economies in both countries. The book masterfully presents the voices of people entrapped by brutal policies that compound poverty, surveillance, and violence. Vélez-Ibáñez’s indictment of the ‘War on Drugs’ and ‘Border Wars’ will transform how we view the intertwined past and possible futures of the United States and Mexico.”—Margaret E. Dorsey, co-author of Fencing in Democracy: Border Walls, Necrocitizenship, and the Security State
