The Border Wall, Immigration, and Citizenship on the United States/Mexico Border

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Dr. Miguel Diaz-Barriga, Swarthmore College, and Dr. Margaret Dorsey, University of Pennsylvania, will undertake anthropological research on how people living in South Texas understand and are affected by the border fence between the United States and Mexico. In the context of heightened national attention to issues of illegal immigration, South Texas has become a unique field site for understanding contemporary American notions of citizenship and patriotism.The researchers will use ethnographic methods to study residents along the border in Hidalgo County, Texas. They will focus on "border wall talk" and its relation to how people understand citizenship. They will conduct extensive interviews with politicians, activists, business leaders, land owners, and local residents. The researchers also will carry out participant observation research in informal settings in Hidalgo County, such as locally-owned taquerias, Veterans of Foreign Wars halls, and coffee shops to understand the nature and circulation of border talk in local culture. These qualitative data will be complemented with a quantitative survey of area residents, which will provide data for comparison with national level surveys. The research will enable social scientists to better understand the complex interplay between transnational expressions of citizenship, national patriotism, and multiple local perspectives. This will lead to better frameworks for understanding the dynamic nature of borders in the contemporary world and contribute to better policy for border concerns.