Historical Continuities of Women in North American Organized Crime

In this presentation, I embrace a methodological approach to focus on the historic roles of women in organized crime in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. While considering how scholars of organized have ignored or downplayed the role of roles of women, I present historical cases of transnational drug trafficking organizations in which women have played significant roles. These demonstrate the historical involvement of women in the trade. At the same time, I must acknowledge the difficulty in developing case studies due to gaps in the historical evidence. Thus, I address those gaps and methods to develop knowledge of the past through historical and ethnographic research that informs an understanding of women’s contemporary roles.