151. Boundary Formation in Action: Nationalism, Immigration, and Boundary Creation between Americans and Mexicans.
- Author
-
Castañeda-Tinocoa, Ernesto
- Subjects
UNITED States emigration & immigration ,IMMIGRANTS ,NATIONAL territory ,ETHNOLOGY ,GEOGRAPHIC boundaries - Abstract
Is massive migration from Mexico into certain areas of the United States diluting the distinctions between these two groups, or is it reproducing and magnifying cultural differences, national myths and traditions? What are the mechanisms reaffirming these exclusive national categorizations? How these categorizations get re-defined in the public discourse will have a big effect on the self-understandings of both Mexicans and Americans. Can we see a similar process among other groups e.g. between French and Algerians?This paper studies boundary formation at three levels 1) as it affects migrants and non-migrants on everyday interactions at the micro level, 2) at the level of theory and normative arguments, and, 3) at the legal and legislative levels including policy debates and discussion in the public sphere. Analyzing some of the boundary work deployed in the last years in order to keep Mexican immigrants outside of the boundary of "the American" by the deployment of the label of "illegal". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008