Diversity and Marginality in the Border Region Marcela Vasquez-Leon, PhD Associate Professor Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, School of Anthropology Center for Latin American Studies The University of Arizona

6.5 million people according to 2000 US Census 49% of residents considered Hispanic, mostly of Mexican descent ~700,000 people cross the US-Mexico border every day (2003)

Arizona

26 U.S. federally-recognized Native American tribes in the border region, including Tohono O’odham, second largest reservation range in size from 9 to 17,000 members. Share extensive family and cultural ties to indigenous peoples in Mexico’s border region

Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Cochise Counties Population of 1, (23% of Arizona population) 48% considered Hispanics 2.5% Native Americans who control a large proportion of the territory ~93,000 (or 13%) people crossed the Arizona-Sonora border on a daily basis in 2003

Borders Are historical and permeable, have always existed and shift and change depending on historic events (war, assimilation, consolidation, etc) Are dynamic areas of tremendous demographic and economic exchanges In borderlands, people always move following economic opportunity. Economic investment and people cross borders depending on available opportunities. Peripheral places that are highly problematized by the center of power, particularly during difficult times. Centralized policy decisions reflect ignorance of local conditions and the stereotypes and misconceptions that embody fear of the OTHER

The Southwestern culture area People hunted deer and small game and harvested fruits, nuts, and the seeds BC: maize domesticated in Mexico 300 BC, Mexicans who irrigated fields migrated to the region. Towns and communities developed around agriculture

Spanish Entrada

US immigration to Mexico

Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo: 1848 Gadsden Purchase: 1853

Multiple Borders Defined by historical events in Mexico and the US Kin-based networks of exchange: the Sonoran connection Transboundary economies: Economic opportunity (agriculture, railroad and road construction, service industry), demand for cheap labor, narco-violence

Mexican Revolution Source: Velez-Ibanez 2009

Macario Garcia 20 January 1920, Villa de Castaño, México Source: Velez-Ibanez 2009

Mexican Women in the Railroad (1944) and Agriculture (1942) Source: Velez-Ibanez 2009

Crossing the Border: Trade, Capital, People 2007 NAFTA Cross-Border Trade: $797 Billion 2008 NAFTA Cross-Border Trade: $830 billion Source: U.S. Department of Transportation – Bureau of Transportation Statistics Drug trade: billions of dollars (???) 1994 NAFTA: trade between US and Mexico nearly tripled Maquiladoras increased to more than 3, : Collapse of the peso

Source: Galan, 2000

Source: Velez-Ibanez 2009

Annual Average Income Men Women Asian-Americans 50,279 36,636 Whites 48,909 35,624 African-Americans 35,484 30,525 Native Americans 33,733 27,685 Latinos 28,033 25,531 Source: 2000 Census

What accounts for such disparities? Lack of health insurance Exposure to chemical agents Language barriers Seasonal employment Fear and discrimination related to immigration status Dominant ideology that values “whiteness”

Conclusions Education, income, labor, politics, health, social and community development, and culture are deeply interrelated Health programs must be comprehensive, culturally competent, and linked to policy Community leaders and members must be involved in the discussion of broad ranging problems and of the impact of those problems on their own health. We must be able to recognize people as experts in their own health