Violent images in Mexico's war on drugs. Exploitation and right to information: a look from the Visual Peace Research perspective

Abstract

The constant violence that happens in the Mexico's war on drugs has produced an infamous archive of images full of human disgrace which circulates freely on the media. From the Visual Peace Research perspective, this paper engages with the discussion on the ways an individual may relate to the spectator position and its implications. The argument focuses on the process of exploitation when visual material depicting violence is produced and consumed. The availability of the material in certain Mexican media is linked with the exaltation of violence or right to information debate. Finally, the interest is to reflect the ways the Mexican society has developed own processes of relation to this conflict and its visual representation.