US-Mexico Border Issues

The Beast By Oscar Martinez

Over the evaluation of The Beast, Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, Martinez dives deeply into the challenges Central American migrants faced when traveling north to the United States in search of a better life. Over the duration of our semester we studied…

Blog Post 6

In the story of The Beast, Martinez was able to write this book and give a great perspective to readers based on the point of view he writes. This book personally gave me a lot of perspective and had me really take a step back and look deeper into the border and the process of those who were trying to get…

Blog Post #6

Martínez’s role as a participant observer profoundly influenced the way he portrayed the stories of migrants making their way across…

Blog Post #6

By: Kaylee Hickman

“The Beast” by Oscar Martinez is a great and interesting account of the perilous journey…

The Trek to El Norte — Migration and Negocio

Both The Beast by Óscar Martínez and Contraband Corridor by Rebecca Galemba dive into the intricacies of migration by exploring the livelihoods of those in Central America and Mexico and their trek to El Norte. Martínez follows the paths of the…

Blog Post #6

How did Martínez’s position as a participant-observer shape the ways that he reported the stories of migrants who traveled across Mexico toward the border?

Throughout Martinez’s style of writing, he actively engaged with the migrants and went through their experiences with him…

How did Martínez’s position as a participant-observer shape the ways that he reported the stories of migrants who traveled across Mexico toward the border?

The Beast

Our readings thus far have provided very important information in regard to the United States and Mexico border. Our readings have covered everything from the early days and formation of the border, to the Border Patrol implementation and operation, Texas Rangers policing the border area, the topic of…

The Beast and Contraband Corridor

The central argument of Contraband Corridor revolves around neoliberal economic policies. According to Galemba, these policies “decimated agricultural livelihoods, fostered criminal activity, and bolsters a border security agenda” (p. 10). As was discussed throughout…