Mexican Voices of the Border Region

by Ortiz, Laura Velasco; Contreras, Oscar F.; Del Castillo, Sandra; Schmidt, Arthur

• ISBN13: 9781592139095
• ISBN10: 1592139094
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-18
• Publisher: Temple Univ Pr

Summary

Every day, 40,000 commuters cross the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana-San Diego to go to work. Untold numbers cross illegally. Since NAFTA was signed into law, The border has become a greater obstacle for people moving between countries. Transnational powers have exerted greater control over the flow of goods, services, information, and people. Mexican Voices of the Border Regionexamines the flow of people, commercial traffic, And The development of relationships across this border. Through first-person narratives, Laura Velasco Ortiz and Oscar F. Contreras show that since NAFTA, Tijuana has become a dynamic and significant place for both nations in terms of jobs and residents. The authors emphasize that the border itself has different meanings whether one crosses it frequently or not at all. The interviews probe into matters of race, class, gender, ethnicity, place, violence, and political economy as well as the individual's sense of agency.

Author Biography

Laura Velasco Ortiz is a Professor in the Department of Cultural Studies at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. She is the author of Mixtec Transnational Identity, an updated translation of her book El regreso de la comunidad: Migracin indgena y agentes tnicos. Los mixtecos en la frontera Mxico-Estados Unidos. Oscar F. Contreras is a Professor in the Department of Social Studies at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. He is the author of many articles and books, most recently Aprendizaje tecnolgico y desarrollo local: La industria automotriz en el norte de Mxico.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Introduction: Lived Borders	p. 1
Living on the Agricultural Frontier	p. 17
Home, Sweet Industrial Home	p. 36
Sex without Kisses, Love with Abuse	p. 51
A Straight-Dealing Drug Trafficker	p. 66
An Indigenous Woman Street Vendor	p. 82
A Caregiver Commuter	p. 99
A Border Acrobat	p. 115
The Mexicali Panther	p. 131
A Young Mexican American	p. 149
Guarding the American Dream	p. 166
Conclusion: Opportunity and Uncertainty	p. 179
Notes	p. 191
References	p. 201
Index	p. 211
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