Death in the City: Suicide and the Social Imaginary in Modern Mexico (Violence in Latin American History Book 5)

Description

At the turn of the twentieth century, many observers considered suicide to be a worldwide social problem that had reached epidemic proportions. In Mexico City, violent deaths in public spaces were commonplace in a city undergoing rapid modernization. Crime rates mounted, corpses piled up in the morgue, and the media reported on sensational cases of murder and suicide. More troublesome still, a compelling death wish appeared to grip women and youth. Drawing on a range of sources from judicial records to the popular press, "Death in the City" investigates the cultural meanings of self-destruction in modern Mexico. The author examines responses to suicide and death and disproves the long-held belief that Mexicans possess a cavalier attitude toward suffering. Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1 • A Social History of Suicide in Mexico City, 1900–1930 2 • From Corpse to Cadaver: Suicide and the Forensic Gaze 3 • Media, Moral Panic, and Youth Suicide 4 • The Modern Disease: Medical Meanings and Approaches to Suicide 5 • Death in the City: Suicide and Public Space 6 • Stains of Blood: Death, Vernacular Mourning, and Suicide Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index