Borderless Borders

by Frank Bonilla

Overview

This new reality -- the Latinization of the United States -- is driven by forces that reach well beyond U.S. borders. It asserts itself demographically, politically, in the workplace, and in daily life. The perception that Latinos are now positioned to help bring about change in the Americas from within the United States has taken hold, sparking renewed interest and specific initiatives by hemispheric governments to cultivate new forms of relationships with emigrant communities.

Borderless Borders describes the structural processes and active interventions taking place inside and outside U.S. Latino communities. After a context-setting introduction by urban planner Rebecca Morales, the contributors focus on four themes.  Economist Manuel Pastor Jr., urban sociologist Saskia Sassen, and political scientist Carol Wise look at emerging forms of global and transnational interdependence and at whether they are likely to produce individuals who are economically independent or simply more dependent. Sociologist Jorge Chapa, social anthropologist Maria P. Fernandez Kelly, and economist Edwin Melendez examine the negative impact of economic and political restructuring within the United States,especially within Latino communities. Performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Pena, legal scholar Gerald Torres, political scientist Maria de los Angeles Torres, and modern language specialist Silvio Torres-Saillant consider the implications -- for community formation, citizenship, political participation, and human rights -- of the fact that individuals are forced to construct identities for themselves in more than one sociopolitical setting. Finally, sociologist Jeremy Brecher, sociologist Frank Bonilla, and political scientist Pedro Caban speculate on new paths into international relations and issue-oriented social movements and organizations among these mobile populations. To supplement the written contributions, Painter Bibiana Suarez has chosen several artworks that contribute to the interdisciplinary scope of the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592138449
Publisher:	Temple University Press
Publication date:	11/12/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Frank Bonilla is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College as well as former Managing Director of the Inter University Program in Latino Research.

Edwin Melendez is Professor and Director of the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Rebecca Morales is Research Associate at San Diego's Center for U.S Mexican Studies and former Director of the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Maria de los Angeles Torres is Associate Professor of Political Science at DePaul University.

CONTRIBUTORS: Jeremy Brecher, Pedro Caban, Jorge Chapa, Maria P. Fernandez Kelly, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Manuel Pastor Jr., Saskia Sassen, Gerald Torres, Silvio Torres-Saillant, Carol Wise, and the editors.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface: Changing the Americas from Within the United State 
Frank Bonilla

1   Dependence or Interdependence: Issues and Policy Choices Facing Latin Americans and Latinos
     Rebecca Morales

Part I   Global Interdependence
2   Interdependence, Inequality, and Identity: Linking Latinos and Latin Americans
     Manuel Pastor, Jr.
3   Trading Places: U.S. Latinos and Trade Liberalization in the Americas
      Manuel Pastor, Jr., and Carol Wise
4   The Transnationalization of Immigration Policy
      Saskia Sassen

Part II   The Reconfigured United States
5   The Burden of Interdependence: Demographic, Economic, and Social Prospects for Latinos in the            
      Reconfigured U.S. Economy
      Jorge Chapa
6   From Estrangement to Affinity: Dilemmas of Identity Among Hispanic Children
     Patricia Fernandez-Kelly
7   The Economic Development of El Barrio
      Edwin Melendez

Part III   The Politics and Identity of Diaspora
8   1995 -- Terreno Peligroso/Danger Zone: Cultural Relations Between Chicanos and Mexicans at the End of
      the Century  
      Guillermo Gomez-Pena
9   Visions of Dominicanness in the United States
      Silvio Torres-Saillant
10 The Legacy of Conquest and Discovery: Meditations on Ethnicity, Race, and American Politics
      Gerald Torres
11  Transnational Political and Cultural Identities: Crossing Theoretical Borders
       Maria de los Angeles Torres

Part IV   Reaching for the Civil Society on a Global Scale
12  Popular Movements and Economic Globalization
       Jeremy Brecher
13  The New Synthesis of Latin American and Latino Studies
       Pedro Caban
14  Rethinking Latino/Latin American Interdependence: New Knowing, New Practice
       Frank Bonilla

Notes

About the Illustrations
Bibiana Suarez

About the Contributors

Index