South Border Research Articles

Photovoice as a Research Technique for Student Learning and Empowerment: A Case Study from a South Texas Border Town

Criminal justice (CJ) education often includes culminating research courses as part of its curriculum. Many of these courses follow a traditional process of considering ethics, theory, research design, quantitative and qualitative methods, and aspects of experiential learning. However, the pedagogy around engaging contemporary modes of knowledge building in CJ, especially those that critique traditional models and rely on new technologies, is lacking. This paper documents our experience using Photovoice methods to empower students as both residents and researchers to systematically assess manifestations of social disorganization in a mid-sized city along the U.S.-Mexico border. We first introduce how other disciplines have incorporated Photovoice into pedagogy, then focus on using a Photovoice study in the CJ classroom to investigate and understand social disorganization in a South Texas border town and consider influences for social action. We conclude with lessons learned and ideas for teacher-scholar-activists to engage in new modes of research pedagogy.

Immigration and the Expanding U.S. Southern Border: Casa en tierra ajena (2016)

The question of the U.S.-Mexico border has been discussed extensively by various media in different contexts, particularly within the last few years and the focus of those publications has ranged from legislative issues, through militarization of the border and the resulting criminalization of migrants to the growing number of deportations and conditions in detention centers. Those exemplary cases of border stories related recently in the media signal the shift in immigration patterns from Central America and consequences of those changes for the whole region. They also demonstrate the trajectory of transformations at the U.S.-Mexico border, including the change of the concept of the border from la línea separating two nation-states into an ever-expanding zone that exceeds political lines and turns Mexico into the great south border. These issues are discussed in the documentary Casa en tierra ajena or Home in a Foreign Land (2016) directed by Ivannia Villalobos-Vindas and the purpose of the article is to examine how Villalobos-Vindas addresses the complexity of the process of forced migration from Central America and to analyze how the documentary illustrates the appearance of the expanding border or the transformation of the U.S.-Mexico political line into the great south border.

Tribal Conflict over Natural Resources on the Sudan – South Sudan Border: The Case of the Abyei Territory

This paper explores the major causes, processes and consequences of natural resource conflicts between tribes across the Sudan – South Sudan border region, with the main emphasis on the Abyei territory. Data for the study have been gathered from primary and secondary sources. The research revealed that the conflict over ownership of Abyei’s renewable and non-renewable resources has evolved as a contentious issue between Sudan and South Sudan. The situation was complicated by the relationship of the Humr Misseriya and Ngok Dinka and their governments, respectively. Moreover, lack of agreement about who should be considered a resident of Abyei derailed a referendum on the territory’s status. The government of Sudan and Humr Misseriya have not yet accepted all proposals and agreements for resolving the conflict. Despite the fact that there are new and positive political developments between the two countries, mainly in 2019–2020, these have not been extended to the settlement of the final status of Abyei. For a durable peace in the Abyei region and its environment, both governments need to work toward realising mutual benefits based on the agreed principles and proposals stipulated in the Abyei Protocol of 2004–2005 and the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel of 2012.

Border South directed by Raúl O. Paz Pastrana United States: Andar Films, 2019. Spanish and English with English subtitles

Border South directed by Raúl O. Paz Pastrana United States: Andar Films, 2019. Spanish and English with English subtitles

Anthrax cattle burials as a potential threat caused by changes in cryolite zones in the northern European part of Russia

Over recent years there have been registered anthrax cases among animals and people in Russia. Anthrax cattle burials remain a basic risk factor that causes epizootic deterioration. A lot of such burials do not correspond to sanitary-epidemiologic requirements especially those located in zones where long-term frozen rocks are now being developed in the northern European part of the country. Our research goal was to examine a situation with anthrax cattle burials in the chosen regions, especially bearing in mind climatic changes and changes in cryolite zones as well as to assess future prospects regarding them. It is especially vital for native people who live in tundra and breed their numerous deer herds there. To achieve the goal, several tasks were accomplished. First, we performed preliminary analysis of anthrax cattle burials distribution in the northern European part of the country and places that were unfavorable as per anthrax. Then, locations of such zones were compared with available data on contemporary development of the cryolite zone in the northern European part of the country. It was necessary to assess future changes in the cryolite zone and describe occurring problems related to anthrax cattle burials being widely spread there as well as to suggest possible ways to solve them. Over the last 50 years considerable spots in the cryolite zone have thawed through completely or partially, especially in an area close to the south border of frozen earth. It is important to know an actual situation with anthrax cattle burials given changing climatic conditions and to assess their future prospects. In order to prevent emergencies in zones where geocryological processes have been activated it is necessary to measure temperature on anthrax cattle burials territories, to assess geocryological threats, to create mathematical models for probable negative events occurrence, as well as to accomplish certain anti-epidemic, anti-epizootic, and preventive activities.

Сибиреязвенные захоронения – потенциальная угроза при изменении криолитозоны европейского севера России

Over recent years there have been registered anthrax cases among animals and people in Russia. Anthrax cattle burials remain a basic risk factor that causes epizootic deterioration. A lot of such burials do not correspond to sanitary-epidemiologic requirements especially those located in zones where long-term frozen rocks are now being developed in the northern European part of the country. Our research goal was to examine a situation with anthrax cattle burials in the chosen regions, especially bearing in mind climatic changes and changes in cryolite zones as well as to assess future prospects regarding them. It is especially vital for native people who live in tundra and breed their numerous deer herds there. To achieve the goal, several tasks were accomplished. First, we performed preliminary analysis of anthrax cattle burials distribution in the northern European part of the country and places that were unfavorable as per anthrax. Then, locations of such zones were compared with available data on contemporary development of the cryolite zone in the northern European part of the country. It was necessary to assess future changes in the cryolite zone and describe occurring problems related to anthrax cattle burials being widely spread there as well as to suggest possible ways to solve them. Over the last 50 years considerable spots in the cryolite zone have thawed through completely or partially, especially in an area close to the south border of frozen earth. It is important to know an actual situation with anthrax cattle burials given changing climatic conditions and to assess their future prospects. In order to prevent emergencies in zones where geocryological processes have been activated it is necessary to measure temperature on anthrax cattle burials territories, to assess geocryological threats, to create mathematical models for probable negative events occurrence, as well as to accomplish certain anti-epidemic, anti-epizootic, and preventive activities.

Kaybasovo Poplar Forests (the Ob River, Tomsk Oblast, the Southern Taiga Subzone)

The Ob River basin is the last large fragment of the range of native Euro-Siberian poplar (Populus nigra, Populus alba) forests where these forests remain intact. The taiga section of the Ob River is occupied by the association Anemonidio dichotomi-Populetum nigrae Taran 1993, and the subtaiga, forest-steppe, and steppe sections are occupied by the association Equiseto hyemalis-Populetum nigrae Taran 1997. The purpose of the study is to determine the syntaxonomic status of poplar forests growing at the junction of the southern taiga and subtaiga subzones and to provide a detailed bryofloristic characterization thereof. Based on the Braun-Blanquet approach, we studied poplar forests located near the south border of the Ob River southern taiga section (Krivosheinsky district, Tomsk Oblast, Russia, surroundings of the Kaybasovo research station, 57º14′44″N, 84º11′05″E). In the forests, average species saturation by vascular plant species is 32.3 species per 100 m2, and its range is 13–56 species/100 m2. Moss flora includes 51 species. Average species saturation by mosses is 15.4 species per 100 m2, and its range is 10–21 species/100 m2. Based on the new data, total moss flora of the Ob poplar forests has increased from 73 species to 86 species and 1 variety (by 19 %), moss flora of the poplar forests of the taiga zone – from 59 species to 81 species and 1 variety (by 39 %). We identify Kaybasovo poplar forests as the new variant, Stellaria bungeana, of the subassociation Equiseto hyemalis-Populetum nigrae betuletosum pubescentis Taran 1997 (Equiseto hyemalis-Populion nigrae Taran 1997, Salicetalia purpureae Moor 1958, Salicetea purpureae Moor 1958)

Megaproyectos y conflictos ecoterritoriales. El caso del Tren Maya

Al amparo de la globalización neoliberal, actualmente los procesos de despojo transforman de manera recurrente territorios indígenas en América Latina. En este artículo, se propone analizar la oposición que se da entre estas prácticas de acumulación por desposesión de las empresas transnacionales (ETN) y las cosmovisiones de los pueblos originarios a través del análisis de los conflictos ecoterritoriales. Tomando el concepto de Rocío Silva Santisteban, se trata de conflictos que nacen de la pugna por el uso y gestión del territorio, entendiendo territorio como concepto holístico, donde interaccionan múltiples violencias. El objetivo de este artículo será desgranar el choque entre estas dos visiones antagónicas del mundo de la mano de perspectivas como la ecología-mundo de Jason W. Moore, que permitirá leer los megaproyectos como un producto más del capitalismo que explota sistémicamente seres humanos y naturaleza al servicio de la acumulación, o el ecofeminismo, que aportará luz a la interdependencia entre territorios y cuerpos como espacios vulnerables. Asimismo, se tomará como ejemplo el caso del Tren Maya, el megaproyecto estrella del actual presidente de México, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, para evidenciar el falso desarrollo que promete la obra ferroviaria para el sureste del país en el marco de la llamada Cuarta Transformación. A través de este conflicto ecoterritorial, que ha despertado la oposición de movimientos sociales e indígenas, se plasmará este choque de visiones y se corroborará el avance de las fronteras extractivas gracias, entre otros aspectos, a la vulneración de derechos humanos como el derecho a consulta del Convenio 169 de la OIT. Por último, el artículo invitará a mirar el Tren Maya desde una mirada de las cartografías críticas, que lo interrelacionarán con proyectos mayores y que revelarán México como un país laboratorio de los tratados de comercio internacional que han propiciado la expansión de megaproyectos en el país.

Representations of refugees in their home countries and abroad: A content analysis of la caravana migrante/the migrant caravan in Central America and the United States

In October 2018, Honduran citizens started walking toward the American South border looking to be allowed entry into the United States due to not having work opportunities nor humanitarian aid in Honduras. More people joined them and this group was named la caravana migrante, the migrant caravan. Our content analyses of articles in five U.S. and five Central American newspapers sought to find similarities and differences in reporting. Despite differences in language and proximity to the caravan, reporting showed strong uniformity both within and across countries. Implications for universal norms of journalism as well as intermedia agenda setting were explored.

My Journey as an Emergent Bilingual

This autoethnography was conducted at an elementary school not far from the South Texas border. I documented how my journey as a kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade student has impacted me to become a better educator. Through this qualitative study, I planned to determine if my childhood experiences as an emergent bilingual learner have made an impact in my teaching and the connections I have formed with my students. I analyzed observations of my current teaching practices and my elementary report cards and test scores. After observing my students’ interactions among their peers and my reaction towards their conversations, I found that emergent bilinguals can reach academic achievement, and their learning can be enhanced. Embracing more than one language can be a powerful resource that binds students to a variety of cultures.

An ecological response to ethno-nationalistic populism: grassroots environmental peacebuilding in south Asia

Abstract The geopolitical and geophysical realities of south Asia create a deep sense of paradox. On the one hand, territorial disputes and hyper-nationalism have resulted in some of the most militarized borders in the world. South Asia's international boundaries are subject to a range of conflicts, which includes high-level armed confrontations between India and Pakistan and low-level, yet deadly, incidents at the India–Bangladesh border. On the other hand, the region's ecology is inherently interlinked through shared rivers, glaciers and forests. South Asia's borders therefore present unique opportunities for environmental peacebuilding, as they are the epicentre of political conflicts as well as the source of transnational ecological connections. This article argues that grassroots processes of environmental peacebuilding can be used to build societal resistance to the rise of ethno-nationalistic populism in south Asia. Using interview data, the article tests concepts on pathways to environmental peacebuilding against underlying drivers of regional conflicts. The study suggests ways by which grassroots environmental initiatives on the Sundarbans forest between India and Bangladesh and the Thar desert between India and Pakistan can address the contemporary rise in nativist politics. The article contributes to existing literature by connecting theories on pathways to environmental peacebuilding to the ideational drivers of territorial and political conflicts. It adds to policy discussions by suggesting an ecological response to the contemporary rise of ethno-nationalistic populism in various regions of the world.

Challenges Faced by Mexican Americans when Accessing Mental Health Care Service Utilization along the South Texas – Mexico border

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the challenges Mexican Americans face when accessing mental health care service utilization along the South Texas-Mexico border. Disparities in access and use of health and mental health services have led Latinos to be disproportionately represented among those most at-risk for chronic health and mental health illnesses and less likely to receive guideline congruent care. Research on mental health service utilization has documented the presence of economic, cultural, and structural barriers that contribute to the underutilization of health services by Latinos. Researchers conducted three focus groups with 25 mental health providers in the South Texas-Mexico border region. Researchers followed a semi-structured question list and probed for detail from group participants. Kleinman’s Explanatory Model [1] guided the question list. The researchers used ethnographic content analysis to analyze the transcripts. Providers reported several challenges when it came to accessing mental health services. The challenges included limited access to insurance, minimal knowledge of mental health, lack of family involvement, few providers, medication management, stigma, and culture.

Improvising Ethics? A Collaborative Autoethnographic Account of the Challenges Faced when doing Fieldwork in Zimbabwe

There are many challenges faced by scholars when designing research that is ethically compliant. These include issues of consent, confidentiality, and how to give feedback to participants, for example. However less is known about how non-South African researchers, specifically Zimbabwean doctoral students, navigate ethical dilemmas when conducting their fieldwork whilst being registered in South African universities. This gap is especially concerning given the high number of Zimbabwean doctoral students in South Africa. This paper poses the following questions: (1) What are the challenges encountered by a Zimbabwean doctoral student doing fieldwork in Zimbabwe whilst being supervised in a South African university? (2) How can these challenges be mitigated? In answering these questions, the paper uses a collaborative autoethnographic approach to empirically ground its arguments. The paper argues that South Africa’s higher education institutions have a duty to ensure research integrity of its students even if those students are conducting fieldwork outside South African borders. We observe that there is often a disconnect between formal ethical administrative processes and what actually happens on the ground. Potential solutions are to increase the autonomy and improvisation of students and supervisors in overseeing and doing research in these contexts.

Identification of African swine fever virus genomic DNAs in wild boar habitats within outbreak regions in South Korea.

An African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in wild boars was first reported on October 2, 2019, in South Korea. Since then, additional cases were reported in South Korea's border areas. We here report the identification of ASF virus (ASFV) DNAs from two out of eight environmental abiotic matter samples collected from areas where ASF-positive wild boar carcasses were found. Comparative genomic investigations suggested that the contaminating ASFV DNAs originated from the wild boar whose carcass had been found near the positive sample sites. This is the first report on the identification of ASF viral material in wild boar habitats.

Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Senegal: A National Population-Based Cross-Sectional Survey, between October and November 2020

Background: Senegal reported the first COVID-19 case on March 2, 2020. A nationwide cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted to capture the true extent of COVID-19 exposure. Methods: Multi-stage random cluster sampling of households was carried out between October 24 and November 26, 2020, at the end of the first wave of COVID-19 transmission. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgG and/or IgM) were screened using three distinct ELISA assays. Adjusted prevalence for the survey design were calculated for each test separately, and thereafter combined. Crude, adjusted prevalence based on tests performances and weighted prevalence by sex-age strata were estimated to assess the seroprevalence.Findings: Of the 1,463 participants included in this study, 58·8% were women and the mean age of participants was 29·2 years (range 0·25–82·0). The national seroprevalence was estimated at 28 . 4% (95% CI: 26·1-30·8). There was substantial regional variability. Four regions recorded the highest seroprevalence: Ziguinchor (56·7%), Sedhiou (48·0%), Dakar (44·0%) and Kaolack (32·7%) whereas, Louga (11·1%) and Matam (11·2%), located in the Center-North, were less impacted in our analysis. All age groups were impacted and the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was comparable in symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. We estimated 4,744,392 SARS-CoV-2 (95% CI: 4,360,164 – 5,145,327) potential infected in Senegal compared to 16,089 COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory-confirmed cases reported at the time of the survey.Interpretation: These results provide an estimate of SARS-CoV-2 virus dissemination in the Senegalese population. Preventive and control measures need to be reinforced in the country and especially in the south border regions.Funding Information: This work was supported by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Senegalese Ministry of Health, the Senegalese National Statistics and Demography Agency (ANSD), the WHO Unity program and the COVID-19 Task-force of the International Pasteur Institute Network (IPIN, REPAIR project).Declaration of Interests: We declare no competing interests.Ethics Approval Statement: All participants have consented to participate in the study. For people younger than 18 years, a legal representative provided informed consent. The study was approved by the Senegalese National Ethics Committee for Research in Health (reference number N°0176/MSAS/DPRS/CNERS, 10 October 2020).

A case study of factors controlling water quality in two warm monomictic tropical reservoirs located in contrasting agricultural watersheds

The integration of internal (e.g., stratification) and external (e.g., pollution) factors on a comprehensive assessment of reservoir water quality determines the success of ecosystem restoration initiatives and aids watershed management. However, integrated analyses are scarcer than studies addressing factors separately. Integration is likely more efficient in studies of small well-characterized (experimental) reservoir watersheds, because the isolation of factor contributions is presumably clearer. But those studies are uncommon. This work describes the water quality of two small 5.5 m-deep reservoirs (MD-Main and VD-Voçoroca dams) located in Pindorama Experimental Center, state of São Paulo, Brazil, considering the interplay between reservoir dimension, seasonal thermal stratification, chemical gradients, erosive rainfall events, presence of natural biofilters, and land uses and landscape patterns around the reservoirs and within the contributing watersheds. The monitoring of agricultural activities and water quality parameters occurred in October 2018–July 2019. A 4 °C thermal stratification occurred in October (difference between surface and bottom water temperature), which decreased until disappearance in January (VD) or April (MD). The longer stratification period of MD was justified by its larger area relative to VD (≈10×). Thermal stratification triggered hypoxia at the bottom of both reservoirs (DO ≈ 1 mg/L), more prolonged and severe in MD. Hypoxia activated Ec and TDS peaks in January likely explained by bottom-sediment nutrient releases, presumably phosphorus. The Ec peak reached 560 μS/cm in MD and 290 μS/cm in VD. The smaller VD peak was probably explained by the action of macrophytes. In March, a 240 NTU turbidity peak occurred in MD, caused by precedent erosive rainfall and the lack of vegetation protection alongside the south border. As expected, the study accomplished clear isolation of factor contributions, verified by Factor and Cluster analyses. Our results can subsidize studies on larger reservoir watersheds requiring restoration, where the isolation of factors is more challenging.

‘The Dreaded Pneumonic Influenza Has Made Its Appearance Amongst Us’: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918–19 in Gippsland, Victoria

This article contributes to our understanding of the 1918–19 influenza pandemic from a regional perspective. It covers the Gippsland region in the southeast of Australia, which traverses the area from Melbourne to the New South Wales border, with a focus on detailing pandemic history at a finely-grained community level. While the public memory of the influenza pandemic is patchy I explore local and family histories to show a vernacular memory of its impact. I also argue that the capacity for Gippsland to respond to the crisis was based on mobilisation and activity carried out during World War I. The role of women in the voluntary sector was crucial in responding to this crisis, especially the Red Cross. At the same time the crisis revealed sometimes-hidden divisions, and I also consider examples of disagreement on issues such as the location of temporary hospitals or the impacts on border areas.

Ancient DNA Studies in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.

Mesoamerica is a historically and culturally defined geographic area comprising current central and south Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and border regions of Honduras, western Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica. The permanent settling of Mesoamerica was accompanied by the development of agriculture and pottery manufacturing (2500 BCE–150 CE), which led to the rise of several cultures connected by commerce and farming. Hence, Mesoamericans probably carried an invaluable genetic diversity partly lost during the Spanish conquest and the subsequent colonial period. Mesoamerican ancient DNA (aDNA) research has mainly focused on the study of mitochondrial DNA in the Basin of Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula and its nearby territories, particularly during the Postclassic period (900–1519 CE). Despite limitations associated with the poor preservation of samples in tropical areas, recent methodological improvements pave the way for a deeper analysis of Mesoamerica. Here, we review how aDNA research has helped discern population dynamics patterns in the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican context, how it supports archaeological, linguistic, and anthropological conclusions, and finally, how it offers new working hypotheses.

Discinoids (Brachiopoda: Lingulata) from the upper Manacapuru Formation (Early Devonian), south border of Amazonas Basin, Brazil

The taxonomic study of brachiopods (Family Discinidae) from the upper part of the Manacapuru Formation (Lochkovian), south border of the Amazonas Basin, Brazil, allowed to recognize’ five species of Orbiculoidea: O. baini, O. bodenbenderi, O. excentrica, and two new species described herein: O. xinguensis sp. nov. and O. katzeri sp. nov. Besides, O. baini, O. bodenbenderi, and O. excentrica are recorded for the first time in the Manacapuru Formation, and in Northern Brazil, being the oldest records (Lochkovian) of these species in South America too. Their presence in the region can be explained by two reasons: the proximity of the Amazonas Basin, located in northwest Gondwana, during the Early Devonian to the continent of Laurasia (where are recorded most occurrences of Orbiculoidea during the Silurian), favoring the specific interchange between these two geographic regions; and the global sea level rise during this time, which flooded a large part of northwestern Gondwana, resulting in the presence of shallow seas in the Amazonas Basin, represented by marine sediments in the upper part of the Manacapuru Formation. These conditions promoted the colonization of inarticulate brachiopods during the Early Devonian in the north of Brazil. The discinoids identified in the strata of the Manacapuru Formation are typical of shallow marine environments, supporting previous interpretations for the upper part of this unit.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEA-ISLAND TOURISM IN SOUTH CENTRAL COAST OF VIETNAM

<p>Located in the middle position of the country, all provinces/cities in the South Central Coast border the sea. With a total coastline length of 1,430 km, accounting for 43.8% of the whole country's coastline (3,260 km), the sea and island tourism in the South Central Coast is now considered a spearhead economic sector, which plays an important role in socio-economic development of this area. In this article, the authors have deeply analyzed the situation and the issues in developing the sea and island tourism in the South Central Coast region from 2010 up to now. Thence, findings lead to important practical suggestions to promote the sustainable development of the sea and island tourism in the South Central Coast in the coming time.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0616/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>