Organized crime and urban violence in Latin America: an interview with Eduardo Moncada

Abstract

Latin America faces many challenges in relation to urban violence, which can be considered a thread of historical, political and social processes in the region. At the same time, a scenario of profound social and economic inequality has enabled the growth and consolidation of organized criminal groups, which exploit various illegal markets, especially drugs. Dominating the production and distribution of these substances, many of these groups use violence to compete for markets with rival groups and public authorities, generating fear and insecurity among the local population. It is in this context that Eduardo Moncada's work is inserted. Using qualitative tools and ethnographic and comparative methods, the author seeks to understand how ordinary people react to violence experienced in everyday life. In this interview, we look at the author's main works and contributions, offering reflections to think analytically about how we deal with urban violence and how it is reproduced on a daily basis.