Hybrid Communities

Here are some of my favorite quotes that I've found while researching this topic. 

Check out this great video that talks about Hispanic American contributions to American culture!

       I started this blog as a project to explore how border communities have influenced the United States with the idea that people crossing over into the United States from Mexico brought their culture which then spread through the nation. What has been eye opening is how much of that culture was already here before the borders were created. Its been extremely interesting to learn how the border has changed and evolved in the 1800's and that the border towns we see now haven't always been border towns. Our border communities are more connected than I imagined and so much is shared between them, even ecosystems. Its disheartening that political agendas are creating a barrier between communities and cultures.  Here is an article that talks about how the U.S. and Mexico border has evolved:  https://www.usatoday.com/border-wall/story/us-mexico-border-history/510833001/

Hi Readers, I found this great video done by The New Yorker that looks at three border communities and talks about how the wall divides us. Please follow the link below to check it out :) https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/two-countries-one-wall-life-at-the-border  

  Scholarly Article Review   A Reflection of: Beyond Surveillance and Moonscapes: An Alternative Imaginary of the U.S.–Mexico Border Wall   Beyond Surveillance and Moonscapes is a great article and photo essay explaining how the mainstream media has represented the U.S. –Mexican border verses their first hand experience visiting the border in Texas.   I really enjoyed the visual representation and descriptions, it really gives a much more in-depth looks at the lives of people living near the border. The article makes a valid argument of how the U.S. – Mexico border is portrayed in national publications; “Time’s and National Geographic’s otherworldly representation of the border alongside its militarized component, one can argue, reinforces a perceived need for the border wall while simultaneously de-emphasizing the impacts of a border wall” (Dorsey & Diaz-Barriga 2010).   How mainstream news and media depict the southern border affects how people a...

  A First Reflection; Source Analysis   For researching my topic of how border communities influence the country I choose sources that would explore how border cities are established, the culture they represent and challenges they face.   The first scholarly article I have chosen is “Zoning a Cross-Border City” which looks into zoning in a cross-border city that consists of two bordering towns. I feel this article will provide information and insight on the legal struggles border communities face on both sides. The second scholarly article I selected is “ Between Norteño and Tejano Conjunto: Music, Tradition, and Culture at the US-Mexico Border” , this article by Garza provides an up to date look at the traditions and culture at the U.S. and Mexico border. For the newspaper articles, the first one I choose discusses the low crime rates that are present in border cities, its titled; U.S. border cities again see low violent crime rates and was published in 2021 desc...