Inhabitants of Medellín, Colombia, suffered from the war-like
violence perpetrated by drug cartels and other actors in the 1980s and
1990s; thousands died, including innocent civilians, judges, and
journalists, many more were injured and left with psychological
trauma. Three decades later, however, transnational audio-visual
corporations such as Netflix have transformed the traumatic memories
into entertainment and the main perpetrator, Pablo Escobar, was
converted into a brand. While global audiences learn about Escobar's
life and myth, his victims's stories fade into oblivion. Victimhood,
Memory, and Consumerism: Profiting from Pablo documents the story of
violence that took place in Medellín and critically examines the
position of its victims. Drawing on unique empirical material, the
book addresses the consequences of commercial exploitation of the
city's violent past for victims of mass drug violence, and for the
present nature of the city. To demonstrate the magnitude of the
profits made from the legacy of Pablo Escobar, the authors cover a
range of topics. Firstly, they describe how the immense popularity of
narco-series has caused the city's suffering to be appropriated by
commercial forces to entertain global audiences; secondly, they detail
the Escobar tours, souvenirs, and artefacts offered by Medellín's
tourist industry; and, finally, they expose the less visible profits
made by political and social actors who engage in the global
mythmaking surrounding Escobar. Through interviews with those directly
affected by drug violence, the authors show that these cultural forces
have immediate symbolic and material consequences. Victimhood, Memory,
and Consumerism offers a telling critique of how the global market
economy allots uneven narrative power to those engaged in processes of
collective memory construction, with the broader aim of addressing an
issue that has so far been neglected within criminology, international
criminal justice, and victimology: the position of victims of
large-scale drug violence. A thoroughly compelling read, this volume
will appeal internationally to academics in criminology and
victimology, as well as those interested in critical perspectives on
Netflix, commercialism, and Colombian history.
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Profiting from Pablo
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780192874139
Publisert
2023
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
OUP Oxford
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter