Aguante and violence in the world of Mexican soccer bars. Methodological and ethical reflections on the case of the Kaos Ritual

Abstract

The recommendations drawn from the empirical work can be useful for those who intend to venture into the issues of violence and insecurity and want to know some vicissitudes that will face and how other researchers have managed to mitigate or resolve them. There is no doubt that in dangerous contexts, direct observation implies latent and obvious risks to physical and psychological integrity, but it is also usually the most appropriate method when there is a lack of hard data and official records, precisely because of territorial control, mistrust and the informal rules of the groups to study, which generates great obstacles for the approach and the duration of the field work. Consequently, this article presents some recommendations of a methodological and ethical nature to perform a fieldwork in violent contexts in an effective, proactive and, to a certain extent, safe manner. For this purpose, the specialized literature and the author’s experience will be used when conducting a gang investigation in Mexico City.