This dissertation examines the processes by which Central American women and men face unprecedented forms of violence and exploitation as they migrate through Mexico. Central Americans are regularly subject to abuse, extortion, rape, kidnapping, dismemberment and death as multiple actors profit off of their bodies, labor and lives. In turn, the political economy of violence and security along the migrant journey permeates into local Mexican communities, creating new tensions and social ruptures. Going beyond a simple accounting of abuse, I engage ethnography as a lens through which to understand the social effects of historical and contemporary processes of war, displacement, economic restructuring and social dislocation as people move through local spaces. Throughout the journey, the logics of migration and violence rework social relations based on race, gender and nationality where migrants are both victims of and agents within the often de-humanizing processes of human mobility. I use a lens of gender in particular to understand the ways larger processes impact the intimate spaces of people's lives and the intimate labors they perform as parents, migrants, partners, laborers and activists. I also examine the ways violence is not simply destructive, but also generates new possibilities for solidarity and political action through social movements around humanitarianism and migrant rights. In particular, I examine the emergence of a movement of Catholic-based migrant shelters and a transnational feminist movement of mothers and families of disappeared migrants.

This thesis intends to explore the conditions of gender-based violence in Latin America and how it interacts with government type, crime rates, and religion. Currently, feminicide is perceived at higher rates in countries such as Mexico and Guatemala. A significantly higher indigenous community, Catholicism, and increased crime organizations are also present in these countries. Therefore, to uphold fundamental human rights, there needs to be a change in how gender-based violence, especially feminicide, is reported. The discussion will include a connection between the variables listed.

Cette thèse analyse l’articulation entre les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) et le tourisme dans l’optique de la coopération internationale. Elle étudie les relations internationales entre le Mexique, le Belize, le Guatemala, le Honduras et le Salvador (1992-2012) dans le contexte de l’Organisation du Monde Maya (OMM) dans laquelle le tourisme est placé comme un vecteur de développement économique. Elle répond à la problématique suivante : le tourisme électronique peut-il favoriser la création et la consolidation des liens de coopération entre les pays de la multi-destination de l’OMM ? Ce travail de recherche montre comment, en dépit des difficultés liées au principe de la concurrence, aux intérêts nationaux et de politique extérieure, l’accord de coopération en matière de tourisme électronique s’est concrétisé à travers une offre englobant toute la Région du Monde Maya à partir de la marque Monde Maya sur le Web. La thèse souligne l’intérêt du tourisme électronique tout en préconisant son renforcement afin d’accentuer la coopération régionale entre États et de consolider le rôle du tourisme dans les régions à partir d’une perspective commune, ce qui permettrait de créer une synergie dynamisante et constructive. Cette recherche vise à apporter une contribution à l’étude de thèmes : tourisme, coopération internationale, Région du Monde Maya. / The linkage between information and communication technology (ICT) and tourism is analyzed in the context (1992-2012) of international cooperation between Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Salvador in the framework of the Maya World Organization (MWO). Tourism is a vector of economic development for this organization. Can electronic tourism create and consolidate cooperation in tourism between the countries taking part in the MWO with its multiple tourist destinations? Despite the difficulties of competition, national interests and foreign policies, the agreement on cooperation in e-tourism has led to an offer for the whole Maya region through the Maya World website. This thesis emphasizes the importance of e-tourism and advocates strengthening it so as to foster cooperation among countries in the region from a joint perspective, thus creating a constructive, dynamic synergy. It contributes to the study of tourism, international cooperation and the World Maya Region. / Esta tesis analiza la articulación entre las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC) y el turismo en la óptica de la cooperación internacional. Estudia las relaciones internacionales entre México, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras y El Salvador (1992-2012) fen el marco de la Organización Mundo Maya (OMM) en la cual el turismo es identificado como un vector de desarrollo económico. La tesis responde a la cuestión siguiente: ¿El turismo electrónico en el marco de la OMM puede favorecer la creación y la consolidación de los lazos de cooperación entre los países de la multidestinación de la OMM? Este trabajo de investigación muestra cómo, pese a dificultades vinculadas con el principio de competencia, a los intereses nacionales y de política exterior, el acuerdo de cooperación en materia de turismo electrónico se materializó a través de una oferta turística abarcando toda la Región Mundo Maya a partir de la marca Mundo Maya en la Web. La tesis subraya el interés acerca del turismo electrónico y recomienda su reforzamiento con el fin de acentuar la cooperación regional entre Estados y consolidar el papel del turismo en las regiones a partir de una perspectiva común, lo que permitiría crear una sinergia dinámica y constructiva. La investigación pretende contribuir al estudio de los siguientes temas: turismo, cooperación internacional, Región Mundo Maya.