Abstract

LUNA ELIZARRARAS, Sara Minerva. Rebeldes or pandilleros: Socio-spatial order, territorial stigma, and gender in Mexico City (1956-1965). Sig. his [online]. 2022, vol.24, n.47, pp.308-352.  Epub July 25, 2022. ISSN 1665-4420.

This paper explores interpretations made by the press, specialists, citizens, and authorities of the Mexican capital regarding the phenomenon of youth gangs from 1956 to 1965. The analysis stresses that the city’s socio-spatial differentiation in those years was central in explanations about and representations of youth gangs; such differentiation also played a central role in the actions authorities took against young gangs, and the social perception of their dangerousness. Thus, the aforementioned social sectors outlined two contrasting stereotypes, which shared one common point: sexual violence. Rebeldes sin causa (rebels without a cause) and pandilleros (gang members) were social types that intertwined expressions of moral panic and feelings of insecurity, which perpetuated territorial stigmas concerning proletarian neighborhoods and slums, as well as gender discourses that influenced the urban experience of their inhabitants.

Keywords : youth gangs; social difference; moral panic; decency; masculinity.