Narrative Strategies of Criminal Legitimacy

Abstract

This article looks at how criminal agents aim to gain legitimacy within the context of the War on Drugs in Mexico. More precisely, it explores the narrative of legitimization presented in Me dicen “el más loco”, an autobiography of Nazario Moreno González, the leader of the criminal organization La Familia Michoacana. A cultural-studies approach is used to argue that the book combines a Christian version of the social-bandit myth with the narrative strategies of the picaresque novel to legitimize the activities of the group. This article aims to contribute to the larger debate on the powerful imaginary dimension of organized crime in Mexico.