Jungian Perspectives on Santa Muerte Devotees in Mexico: Worshipping Death (Routledge Studies in Anthropology)

This groundbreaking ethnography offers a deep psychological framework for understanding the Santa Muerte (Saint Death) phenomenon in Mexico.Emerging from a social landscape marked by ultra-violent criminality, government corruption, soaring rates of femicide, forced disappearances, and pervasive impunity, devotion to Santa Muerte signals a profound breakdown of the traditional Hispano-Christian image of God.Her veneration can be understood as a psychological response from a society grappling with “bad death”, where loss and violence are ever-present in daily life. Anchored in intimate case studies and a Jungian archetypal interpretation, the book demonstrates how Santa Muerte’s inherent moral ambiguity enables devotees to navigate the blurred boundaries between good and evil, safety and peril, and justice and lawlessness.She stands as a potent response to the ongoing socio-political and psychological instability created by Mexico’s dominant patriarchal institutions (state, church, cart