Exposing Atrocity: The Politics of Representation of Feminicide Violence in Mexico, 1994-2021

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Feminicide refers to the killing of women, girls, and transgender women for gender-based reasons. Since the 1990s, this violence has been a persistent political problem in Mexico. Beginning with the observation that feminicide photographs have constituted the main means whereby Mexican society becomes familiarised with this problematic, this PhD proposes investigating photojournalism's role in shaping gendered discourses about feminicide and its subjects from 1994 to the present. It will explore the role that press photographs have had in reaffirming feminised bodies' status as 'killable'. Moreover, an examination of feminist artworks seeking to contest dominant modes of coverage will enhance the understanding of photojournalism's ideological biases. Building on both these artistic counter-representation and constellations from my press photographic archive, the study will emphasise how the battle over the visual representation of feminicide is a crucial part of the struggle against social and state necropolitics. The dissertation seeks to provide a new critical framework for assessing the form, meaning, and function of feminicide photography in Mexico. The aim is to contribute to a fuller understanding of the politics of representation of feminicide violence and examine the potential of more ethical forms of addressing feminicide violence.