Mexican Voices of the Border Region : Mexicans and Mexican Americans Speak About Living Along the Wall

How the border shapes the experiences and opportunities of Mexicans on each side 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 Region examines 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. Every day, 40,000 commuters cross the U.S.-Mexico border at 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. This book examines the flow of people, commercial traffic, and the development of relationships across this border. It shows that since NAFTA, Tijuana has become a 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 Living on the agricultural frontier : a farm worker in the San Quintin Valley Home, sweet home : the life of an industrial homeworker Sex without kisses, love with abuse : life as a sex worker Juan unafraid : a straight-dealing drug trafficker The life of an indigenous woman street vendor in Tijuana Taking care of the chameleon : a caregiver-commuter A border acrobat : living without documents on both sides The Mexicali panther : from people smuggler to drug trafficker Identity in balance : a Mexican American youth in California Guarding the American dream : the obligations of a border patrol official. Contents Foreword, by Arthur Schmidt Acknowledgments Introduction: Lived Borders 1. Living on the Agricultural Frontier 2. Home, Sweet Industrial Home 3. Sex without Kisses, Love with Abuse 4. A Straight-Dealing Drug Trafficker 5. An Indigenous Woman Street Vendor 6. A Caregiver Commuter 7. A Border Acrobat 8. The Mexicali Panther 9. A Young Mexican American 10. Guarding the American Dream Conclusion: Opportunity and Uncertainty Notes References Index