Border Policing
A History of Enforcement and Evasion in North America
Holly M Karibo editor George T Díaz editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of Texas Press
Published:21st Apr '20
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
An interdisciplinary group of borderlands scholars provide the first expansive comparative history of the way North American borders have been policed—and transgressed—over the past two centuries.
An extensive history examining how North American nations have tried (and often failed) to police their borders, Border Policing presents diverse scholarly perspectives on attempts to regulate people and goods at borders, as well as on the ways that individuals and communities have navigated, contested, and evaded such regulation.
The contributors explore these power dynamics though a series of case studies on subjects ranging from competing allegiances at the northeastern border during the War of 1812 to struggles over Indian sovereignty and from the effects of the Mexican Revolution to the experiences of smugglers along the Rio Grande during Prohibition. Later chapters stretch into the twenty-first century and consider immigration enforcement, drug trafficking, and representations of border policing in reality television. Together, the contributors explore the powerful ways in which federal authorities impose political agendas on borderlands and how local border residents and regions interact with, and push back against, such agendas. With its rich mix of political, legal, social, and cultural history, this collection provides new insights into the distinct realities that have shaped the international borders of North America.
[Border Policing] is an excellent updated introduction to borderlands studies of the region. Readers will find that the authors, based primarily in the discipline of history, make the volume accessible to academic and nonacademic audiences alike as they deftly connect the themes over time...The contributions of this volume are timely. * Gender, Place & Culture *
An intelligent and engaging collection of mostly historical scholarship on the often nettlesome challenges arising along the two international borders that trisect North America...despite this volume’s geographic, topical, and chronological range, the essays in Border Policing work together nicely...Borderlands scholars across disciplinary boundaries will find this volume rewarding. * American Historical Review *
A volume such as this one could not be more timely...One cannot read through the fine essays in this collection without encountering fascinating historical examples of contemporary border realities and follies. Everything old is indeed new again along the nation's frontiers...Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Border Policing is an important collection of scholarship. Its most exciting and innovative sections center on Indigenous sovereignty, settler colonialism, and colonial border policies. Cohesively, this volume demonstrates that borders have historically been both permeable and policed. * Journal of American History *
The framing of 'crisis' has been a recurring feature of border policing in U.S. history since at least the early nineteenth century. This much is deftly and effectively argued in [Border Policing]...the book aptly shows the partial, incomplete, and contingent nature of border policing itself...Scholars of Texas history would do well to engage this book for its range of case studies grappling with, among other things, transborder political collaboration (chapter 2), the policing of Mexican identity (chapter 4), vigilantism (chapter 7), peyotism (chapter 8), and the policing of smuggling and gender roles (chapter 9). * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *
Border Policing is...one of the best of a small but growing number of anthologies that put the histories of US-Mexico and US-Canada borderlands in conversation...this is an exceptionally well-organized and thoughtfully arranged anthology. Every essay can be grouped with at least two or three others either thematically, chronologically, or geographically, which makes it an excellent teaching resource for courses about nationalism, borderlands, or policing. The amount of fresh scholarship and interpretations means this collection is also pushing the field forward in distinct ways. * H-Net Reviews *
Border Policing presents the story of border control from the perspective of the borderlands. The authors offer rigorous and insightful contributions on 'the experiences of borderlands residents.' … This focus brings to light important experiences too-long hidden and ignored. * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *
[Border Policing] is important, if for no other reason than our need to know more about how these borders became the complex, contentious zones they are today...The empirical richness of the case studies is impressive...the volume is a great resource for scholars and students of borders and security issues alike. * Journal of Strategic Security *
Temporally and spatially expansive...Border Policing is an impressive collection of essays on enforcement and invasion in the North American borderlands. * Journal of Arizona History *
ISBN: 9781477320679
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 30mm
Weight: 594g
304 pages