ANTH 34 Comparative Perspectives on the US-Mexican Borderlands
“U.S.-Mexico Borderlands” explores the histories, policies, economies, structures, and cultures of the southern divide from the early nineteenth century to the present day. The U.S.-Mexico border is often understood as a periphery, an edge to the nation, a marginal region of little importance. However, the border is also an interface; a region that facilitates connections, crossings, and junctures. Its importance, this class argues, cannot be overstated. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to borderlands studies will allow us to seek the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” the border comes into being. This class will emphasize the lived experiences of peoples and communities living along the border by engaging with secondary and primary sources. Further, this class will utilize art, poetry, music, podcasts, and performance as a way to understand how the border was and continues to be contested. While the class moniker identifies only two nations, the plight of indigenous nations’ claim to land, sovereignty, and resources is also studied. Further, by taking a relational ethnic studies approach, the histories of Asian & Asian American, Black, and other racialized peoples on the border are highlighted. Each of these histories is important to understand the origins of the southern divide and how these origins manifested forms of exclusionary nation-building and its shifts over time.
Cross Listed Courses
LATS 045