Abstract
This article is a critique of two different types of essentialisms that have gained widespread acceptance in places as distant as the U.S.-Mexico border and different Mercosur frontiers. Both essentialisms rely on metaphors that refer to the concept of "union," and put their emphasis on a variety of "sisterhood/brotherhood" tropes and, in particular, the "crossing" metaphor. This kind of stance tends to make invisible the social and cultural conflict that many times characterizes political frontiers. The article wants to reinstall this conflictive dimension. In that regard, we analyze two different case studies. The first is the history of a bridge constructed between Posadas, Argentina and Encarnación, Paraguay. The second is the community reaction toward an operation implemented by the Border Patrolin 1993 ("OperationBlockade") in a border that for many years was considered an exemplar of the "good neighbor relationships" between Mexico and the United States, the frontier between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Key Words: U.S.-Mexico border, Operation Blockade, Mercosur frontier, political frontier, Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico, United States, Posadas, El Paso , Encarnación, Ciudad Juárez, Border Patrol.
Highlights
This article is a critique of two different types of essentialisms that have gained widespread acceptance, both academically and politically, in places as distant as the U.S.–Mexico border and different Mercosur frontiers
Both essentialisms rely on metaphors that refer to the concept of union, and put their emphasis on a variety of sisterhood/brotherhood tropes and, in particular, the crossing metaphor
It is quite frequent to hear people talking about border peoples’ fraternity in the American Southern Cone as well as the brotherhood or the lack of conflict that characterizes the relationships between Mexican nationals, Mexican immigrants, and Mexican Americans on the U.S.–Mexico border (G.Anzaldúa 1987; H.Calderón and J.D.Saldívar 1991; A.Paredes 1978; G.Recondo 1997; R.Rosaldo 1989; J.D.Saldívar 1997; Various Authors 1997a; b)
Summary
This article is a critique of two different types of essentialisms that have gained widespread acceptance, both academically and politically, in places as distant as the U.S.–Mexico border and different Mercosur frontiers. The border crosser metaphor, at the same time, has been widely used to make sense of something that could be described as the “new historical subject”, and as a paradigm to think about intercultural exchanges in general (H.K.Bhabha 1994; G.Gómez-Peña 1988, 1991; M.Harrison and M.E.Montoya 1998; E.Hicks 1991) These and similar metaphors, such as one that states borders “only exist on the maps,” (R.Abínzano 1993:76), have something in common. In the earlier work (1978), he mentions several areas of conflict between Anglos and Mexicans: the Free Zone, the U.S possible military intervention against Pancho Villa, the depression of salaries by commuter workers from Juárez, the reaction against undocumented immigrants since the great depression He does not, mention any conflict between Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans even though some of his own data show that such conflict was present.. In pages 107-108 of his Border Book Town, Martínez quotes at length some Juarenses’
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
