Images and accounts of the Mexican--US migration process and the border region abound. Representations of border crossers, plans for the construction of a security fence, the shifting economic relationship between the US and its southern neighbors, and the changing character of the Rio Grande area have played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary political discourse. The Politics, Economics, and Culture of Mexican-US Migration, which has attracted contributors from four different countries, offers multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary evaluations of these developments. It also considers the impact of migration in both the US and Mexico. Some of the contributions are case-studies, while others have a broad 'survey' character. All place the current debate about migration and the changing nature of the north American continent within its wider context in a way that is of relevance and interest to both the specialist and the more general reader.
Author(s): Edward Ashbee, Helene Balslev Clausen, Carl Pedersen
Edition: 1st
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 334
Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
List of Illustrations......Page 8
Introduction......Page 12
Part I: American Identities......Page 18
1 Somos Americanos: Mexican Immigration and U.S. National Identity in the Twenty-first Century......Page 20
2 Mexican Mestizo Identity in the Twenty-first Century......Page 36
Part II: Capital and Labor......Page 48
3 The Other Side of the Migration Story: Mexican Women in the United States......Page 50
4 From Precarious, Low-paying Jobs in Mexico to Precarious, Low-paying Jobs in the United States......Page 74
5 Sending Money Home: The Dynamics of Mexico-U.S. Remittances......Page 102
6 The Impact of NAFTA on the Mexican-U.S. Border Region......Page 118
7 Transnational Social Networks and International Trade......Page 144
Part III: The Border Region......Page 158
8 Beyond Border Crossing and Soulless Places: The Role of Mexico’s Northern Border Cities in the Construction of Transnational Social Spaces......Page 160
9 Changing Representations of the Border......Page 174
10 Boundaries in Border Films: The Other as Our Redemption......Page 188
11 Baldwin Park: Historical Narratives and American Identities......Page 200
12 Textual Representations of the Border and Border Crossers: Constructing Latino Enemies in the New York Times......Page 212
13 Mexican Immigration and the Question of Identity in the United States......Page 226
Part IV: Politics and Public Policy......Page 242
14 Immigration and the 2006 U.S. Midterm Elections......Page 244
15 Immigration, Social Policy, and Politics in the United States......Page 268
16 From the Margin to the Middle? The Origin, Transformation, and Direction of the Minutemen......Page 282
17 Migrants, Votes, and the 2006 Mexican Presidential Election......Page 306
18 Sovereignty along el Río Bravo/the Rio Grande: Changes in U.S. Immigration Law and Mexican Foreign Relations Law......Page 316
Contributors......Page 328
H......Page 332
S......Page 333
Z......Page 334
