Timeline
Discussion Questions
Digital Resources
Discussion Questions
- How does power shape one cultural and ethnic identity?
- In what ways that ethnic categories and ethnic boundaries shape one’s identity?
- What factors influence one’s migratory journey?
- Where is “home?” Would one definition of “home” only bounded as a geographical location or it can be imagined, thus malleable?
- Can you define Chicano/a culture?
- To the best of your knowledge, tell us what you know about the U.S-Mexico border? What were the historical events and actors that shaped its construction?
- What are the impacts of cross-boundary construction to a place’s biodiversity or environment in general?
- What roles do Mexican migrant workers play in the U.S, especially in the southwestern states’ economy?
- What is the “Title 42 expulsion act?” The Biden administration plans to expel title 42 shortly. What impacts would this action mean on migrant crossings along the U.S. and Mexico border?
- Who are the people that live on the borderline between the U.S and Mexico? What are the historical events and actors that shape the formation of these communities?
Digital Resources
A YouTube video discusses the impact of Trump border wall construction to the border areas biodiversity
Vox, “How Trump’s border wall would disrupt nature ” YouTube Video, 4:11, April 13, 2018,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v4Vof2dU9I&t=3s.
With over 350 million people crossing legally every year, the border between the U.S. and Mexico, or otherwise known as the Wall, is undoubtedly one of the busiest borders worldwide. The below documentary provides various first-hand accounts of people who live along the border of the two countries. They are border patrol, migrant workers, immigrants, etc.
Real Stories, “The Wall: Busiest Land Border On The Planet (US/Mexico Documentary) | Real Stories,” YouTube Video, 48:54, December 15, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg37oP80QKw.
As the Biden administration is seeking a pathway to repel the Trump-era title 42, which allows border patrols to expel migrants back to their home country based on public health concerns, reports have shown a surging number of migrants arriving in border cities along the U.S and Mexico border.
CNN, “Border Patrol sees ‘major surge in illegal crossings’ in El Paso,” YouTube Video, 9:50, December 13, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ZQCN7jZWE.
A short documentary to show how deeply integrated the U.S-Mexico border cities have become.
The New Yorker, “Why a Designer Turned the U.S.-Mexico Border Into an Art Installation,” YouTube Video, 15:36, November 12, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ZQCN7jZWE.
In a short Tedx Talk, Michelle Navarro shares her personal experiences to reconnect with her Chicano heritage. She includes some quotes from Borderlands/La Frontera in her speech.
TEDx Talks, “Moving Beyond the Chicano Borderlands | Michelle Navarro | TEDxMountainViewCollege,” YouTube Video, 11:00, March 13, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSsK9kiYsQ