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How We Tell the Stories We Tell

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Rhetoric and Reality on the U.S.—Mexico Border

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Abstract

This chapter foregrounds why borders and stories matter as objects of study. Stories about national borderlands are social practices of bordering, rebordering, and debordering: political and social efforts to generate, reinforce, redefine, or contest social differences. These practices affect state and federal policies on immigration, health care, education, and the economy. Data collection methods are detailed, including ethnography, participant observation, interviews, focus groups, and media analysis. Issues, influences, and the potential of “studying up” and fieldwork at home are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are other terms, such as Latinx and Chicana/o/x. In the book, I use different terms at various points in order to reflect what terms are used by the texts I reference or by the leaders whose words I cite.

  2. 2.

    An earlier analysis of a slightly different database informed my approach (Fleuriet & Castañeda, 2017). For that analysis, I am indebted to Dr. Heide Castañeda and several research assistants, including Mari Castellano, Itzel Corona, Milena Melo, and Ryan Logan.

  3. 3.

    Narayan (1993) provides a good early review of the development and complexities of the concept.

  4. 4.

    Each of these researchers has extensive publications. Here are a few citations for Heyman (2010, 2012a, 2012b, 2012c; Heyman, Slack, & Guerra, 2018; Vélez-Ibañez & Heyman, 2017) and Richardson (1999; Richardson & Pisani, 2012, 2017; Richardson & Resendiz, 2006). There are other citations throughout the book, but I would also encourage readers to locate Heyman and Richardson’s professional webpages for full references.

  5. 5.

    For examples and methodological considerations on studying up with elites, see D’Alisera (1999), Ortner (2010), Heyman (2010), Souleles (2018), Gusterson (1997, 2017), and Harvey (2011).

  6. 6.

    Colonias are unincorporated, low-income neighborhoods that historically have lacked basic infrastructure and social services.

  7. 7.

    As mentioned earlier, the notable exception is the work by anthropologist Josiah Heyman in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    K. Jill Fleuriet

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  1. K. Jill Fleuriet
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Correspondence to K. Jill Fleuriet .

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Fleuriet, K.J. (2021). How We Tell the Stories We Tell. In: Rhetoric and Reality on the U.S.—Mexico Border. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63557-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63557-2_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-63557-2

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