The Border between the U.S. and Mexico stretches along 1960 mile, almost two-thirds of the distance between New York and Los Angeles. 12 million people live on the borderland on both sides of the border. It is therefore a distinct region, sometimes termed Amexica, with its own history, culture, social relations, ethnicities, economics and politics.

 

In the course we will trace the formation and transformations of the U.S.-Mexican borderland since the early 19th-century throughout the early 21st-century. We will address Topics such as migration, drug trafficking and militarization and examine the border as both a physical boundary and a symbolic construct, catering for construction of distinct identities and identifications.

 

The reading will include historical and anthropological sources, as well as literary and visual representations of the borderland. Special attention will be given to sources by AmexicanosPhchos/as, Norteños/as, Fronterizos/as and Anglos who inhabited the region. By doing so, the course aspires to bring the students closer to the field of Borderland Studies in the U.S., which also carries out significant comparative implications.

 

 

הרכב הציון

השתתפות בשיעור 15%

שני דוחות קריאה – 15% כל אחד 30%

בחינת בית 55%