School Violence in México: When Addressing Bullying Is Not Enough

Abstract

Neoliberal logic plays a role in school violence in México. To advance this logic, discourses focused on individuals’ actions are deployed. These deflect a focus on structural dynamics that contribute to or are the root cause of violence. Neoliberal logic insinuates itself into Mexican society through national and international organisms that frame the discourse of and responses to school violence. This chapter broadens the discussion to include the context beyond schooling and considers the role of external mechanisms that contribute to school violence. School violence in México is increasingly discussed as bullying, but to understand the landscape of violence among students, the discussion does well to explore factors that extend beyond bullying. The dominance of a bullying discourse in media and educational initiatives to describe school violence suggests its ability to reference a common human experience. Being taunted, humiliated, or beaten is possible, perhaps even probable, in the course of a human life. “Bullying” provides a common language about certain behaviors, dispositions, and actions but camouflages structural bias and violence around class, race, and gender. Ignoring structural bias can place Mexican schoolchildren, youth, and young adults in peril.