Soldiers and Kings: Violence, Representation and Photoethnographic Practice in the Context of Human Smuggling Across Mexico

Since 2015 Jason De León has been involved in an analog photoethnographic project focused on documenting the daily lives of Honduran smugglers who profit from transporting undocumented migrants across Mexico. In this talk, he will discuss the relationship between transnational gangs and the human smuggling industry and outline the complicated role that photography plays as a field method and data source in this violent and ethically challenging ethnographic context. Jason De LeónAssociate Professor of Anthropology,University of MichiganDirector, Undocumented Migration Project California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)Wednesday, October 18, 20175:00 p.m.Reception to followPlease RSVP to this event here.  This Public Lecture is co-sponsored by:Professor and Director Willeke Wendrich, UCLA Cotsen Institute of ArchaeologyThe Mellon Foundation’s Urban Humanities Initiative at UCLAProfessor and Chair Jason Throop, UCLA Department of AnthropologyProfessor Richard Lesure, Marilyn Beaudry-Corbett Endowed Chair in Mesoamerican Archaeology