Some 16.6 million people nationwide live in mixed-status families, containing a combination of U.S. citizens, residents, and undocumented immigrants. U.S. immigration governance has become an almost daily news headline. Yet even in the absence of federal immigration reform over the last twenty years, existing policies and practices have already been profoundly impacting these family units. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in San Diego over more than a decade, Border Brokers documents the continuing deleterious effects of U.S. immigration policies and enforcement practices on a group of now young adults and their families. In the first book-length longitudinal study of mixed-status families, Christina M. Getrich provides an on-the-ground portrayal of these young adults’ lives from their own perspectives and in their own words. More importantly, Getrich identifies how these individuals have developed resiliency and agency beginning in their teens to improve circumstances for immigrant communities. Despite the significant constraints their families face, these children have emerged into adulthood as grounded and skilled brokers who effectively use their local knowledge bases, life skills honed in their families, and transborder competencies. Refuting the notion of their failure to assimilate, she highlights the mature, engaged citizenship they model as they transition to adulthood to be perhaps their most enduring contribution to creating a better U.S. society. An accessible ethnography rooted in the everyday, this book portrays the complexity of life in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. It offers important insights for anthropologists, educators, policy-makers, and activists working on immigration and social justice issues.
Finally, I examine how the teens assert their belonging, filtered through the lens of the immigrant rights protests. I chronicle how the teenagers actively critiqued forms of exclusion being directed at them and their inner circles and also asserted their right to belong while remaining connected to their immigrant roots. I describe how the teens maneuver their multi-layered identities through their "boundary work." I conclude by considering what the future holds for second-generation Mexican youth. I also make a series of policy recommendations regarding second-generation youth and discuss the role that anthropologists should play in the "immigration debate.
ABOUT THE BOOK I’d stumbled upon Randy Pausch, a youngish professor from Carnegie Mellon University, quite by accident in 2011. I’d been looking for a good PowerPoint presentation about time management, and the one he gave was deemed to be really interesting, according to the Google searches I’d done. As I read the mini-bio attached to the file, it occurred to me that I’d heard the name before, so I did some further searching and realized he had written “The Last Lecture”, which I’d heard so much about a few years ago. I immediately headed out and picked up a copy. As I read, I was stunned by the powerful simplicity of his writing. I had already watched “The Last Lecture” on YouTube, as millions had during the time in which the presentation had gone viral, but I was surprised at the profound effect the book had on me. This was a man who, by all accounts, had everything going for him: a great job that he loved, three very young children and a beautiful wife whom he adored. MEET THE AUTHOR Christina St-Jean an Ontario English teacher with a great passion for American literature in particular and the written word in general. Her two daughters, aged 3 and 7, also seem to have a love of books, as her 7 year old just started reading Tom Sawyer herself. Christina follows global events as closely as she can but also enjoys entertainment news. Currently, she is working towards a black belt in karate. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK If anything, The Last Lecture showed to the world just how pervasive media attention is today; after the lecture itself became a YouTube sensation, Pausch made appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Prime Time Live with Diane Sawyer, in addition to appearing on Time’s Top 100 list of the world’s most influential people for 2008. He drew the attention of Katie Couric, The Wall Street Journal’s Jeffrey Zaslow, director J.J. Abrams, and none other than Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner. He testified before Congress to encourage more funding to be directed to pancreatic cancer research and received a letter from the original President Bush. Buy a copy to keep reading!
Some 16.6 million people nationwide live in mixed-status families, containing a combination of U.S. citizens, residents, and undocumented immigrants. U.S. immigration governance has become an almost daily news headline. Yet even in the absence of federal immigration reform over the last twenty years, existing policies and practices have already been profoundly impacting these family units. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in San Diego over more than a decade, Border Brokers documents the continuing deleterious effects of U.S. immigration policies and enforcement practices on a group of now young adults and their families. In the first book-length longitudinal study of mixed-status families, Christina M. Getrich provides an on-the-ground portrayal of these young adults’ lives from their own perspectives and in their own words. More importantly, Getrich identifies how these individuals have developed resiliency and agency beginning in their teens to improve circumstances for immigrant communities. Despite the significant constraints their families face, these children have emerged into adulthood as grounded and skilled brokers who effectively use their local knowledge bases, life skills honed in their families, and transborder competencies. Refuting the notion of their failure to assimilate, she highlights the mature, engaged citizenship they model as they transition to adulthood to be perhaps their most enduring contribution to creating a better U.S. society. An accessible ethnography rooted in the everyday, this book portrays the complexity of life in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. It offers important insights for anthropologists, educators, policy-makers, and activists working on immigration and social justice issues.
Mind, Materiality and History has direct relevance to current debates on the nature of mind and consciousness, and demonstrates the centrality of the study of children to social analysis.
In their quaint village, two retired ladies and their friend Jim, a retired policeman, find themselves irresistibly drawn to solving local mysteries. From Janie’s tears to an unidentified body in the park and the perplexing transformation of a cat, they become entangled in a web of enigmas. Seeking a break, they embark on a holiday, only to be confronted with another murder within their group. Accused by the police inspector of being magnets to murder, they must unravel the truth before danger strikes again. In this captivating tale, these retirees embrace adventure, delving into secrets and peril that threaten their peaceful existence. As their bond strengthens, their determination to bring justice to their community intensifies. Can they solve the puzzles and prove their innocence before suspicion consumes them? The stakes are high as they navigate the twists and turns of their village’s mysteries.
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