Deadly divide : how insects, pathogens, and people defied the US-Mexico border / Mary E. Mendoza.
| Author/creator | Mendoza, Mary E. author. |
| Other author | William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, sponsor. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, 2026. |
| Description | 256 pages ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Abstract | "When most people picture the US-Mexico border, they think of walls, fences, concrete, and wire. But in this first history of how the environment influenced physical boundary-making between the two nations, Mary E. Mendoza focuses on how the natural world shaped ideas about race, gender, and security. In so doing, she unearths surprising origins of the modern-day immigration debate. Mexican migrants have historically been seen by some in the US as invasive and less than human. But actual invasive pests are part of this story. Deadly Divide shows how cattle ticks, the body louse, foot-and-mouth disease, and the female Mexican fruit fly contributed to the to the ever-increasing racialization of Mexican migrants, which in turn led to increased policing, criminalization, and fears about immigrants infiltrating the US. As Mendoza follows the stories of migrants in relation to various species, Indigenous peoples, and officials on both sides of the border, she argues that the need for mobility overpowered both governments' laws, fences, and agents. At the same time, the border's symbolic power became a source of terror not only for migrants who try to cross into the US but for those who feel they cannot cross back, making the US a nation that suspends immigrants between two worlds"-- Provided by publisher. |
| General note | "Published in association with the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, Southern Methodist University"--Title page. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | ebook version : 9781469695433 |
| LCCN | 2025054775 |
| ISBN | 9781469695396 cloth alk. paper |
| ISBN | 1469695391 |
| ISBN | 9781469695402 paperback alk. paper |
| ISBN | 1469695405 |
| ISBN | epub |
| ISBN | |
| ISBN | PDF ebook |
| Standard identifier# | CIPO000353749 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | General Stacks | F787 .M46 2026 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |