Borderless Borders

This new reality -- the Latinization of the United States -- is driven by forces that reach well beyond U.S. borders. It asserts itself demographically, politically, in the workplace, and in daily life. The perception that Latinos are now positioned to help bring about change in the Americas from within the United States has taken hold, sparking renewed interest and specific initiatives by hemispheric governments to cultivate new forms of relationships with emigrant communities. Borderless Borders describes the structural processes and active interventions taking place inside and outside U.S. Latino communities. After a context-setting introduction by urban planner Rebecca Morales, the contributors focus on four themes. Economist Manuel Pastor Jr., urban sociologist Saskia Sassen, and political scientist Carol Wise look at emerging forms of global and transnational interdependence and at whether they are likely to produce individuals who are economically independent or simply more dependent. Sociologist Jorge Chapa, social anthropologist Maria P. Fernandez Kelly, and economist Edwin Melendez examine the negative impact of economic and political restructuring within the United States,especially within Latino communities. Performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Pena, legal scholar Gerald Torres, political scientist Maria de los Angeles Torres, and modern language specialist Silvio Torres-Saillant consider the implications -- for community formation, citizenship, political participation, and human rights -- of the fact that individuals are forced to construct identities for themselves in more than one sociopolitical setting. Finally, sociologist Jeremy Brecher, sociologist Frank Bonilla, and political scientist Pedro Caban speculate on new paths into international relations and issue-oriented social movements and organizations among these mobile populations. To supplement the written contributions, Painter Bibiana Suarez has chosen several artworks that contribute to the interdisciplinary scope of the book.

Table of Contents:
CONTENTS Acknowledgments Preface: Changing the Americas from Within the United State Frank Bonilla 1 Dependence or Interdependence: Issues and Policy Choices Facing Latin Americans and Latinos Rebecca Morales Part I Global Interdependence 2 Interdependence, Inequality, and Identity: Linking Latinos and Latin Americans Manuel Pastor, Jr. 3 Trading Places: U.S. Latinos and Trade Liberalization in the Americas Manuel Pastor, Jr., and Carol Wise 4 The Transnationalization of Immigration Policy Saskia Sassen Part II The Reconfigured United States 5 The Burden of Interdependence: Demographic, Economic, and Social Prospects for Latinos in the Reconfigured U.S. Economy Jorge Chapa 6 From Estrangement to Affinity: Dilemmas of Identity Among Hispanic Children Patricia Fernandez-Kelly 7 The Economic Development of El Barrio Edwin Melendez Part III The Politics and Identity of Diaspora 8 1995 -- Terreno Peligroso/Danger Zone: Cultural Relations Between Chicanos and Mexicans at the End of the Century Guillermo Gomez-Pena 9 Visions of Dominicanness in the United States Silvio Torres-Saillant 10 The Legacy of Conquest and Discovery: Meditations on Ethnicity, Race, and American Politics Gerald Torres 11 Transnational Political and Cultural Identities: Crossing Theoretical Borders Maria de los Angeles Torres Part IV Reaching for the Civil Society on a Global Scale 12 Popular Movements and Economic Globalization Jeremy Brecher 13 The New Synthesis of Latin American and Latino Studies Pedro Caban 14 Rethinking Latino/Latin American Interdependence: New Knowing, New Practice Frank Bonilla Notes About the Illustrations Bibiana Suarez About the Contributors Index

About the Author :
Frank Bonilla is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College as well as former Managing Director of the Inter University Program in Latino Research. Edwin Melendez is Professor and Director of the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Rebecca Morales is Research Associate at San Diego's Center for U.S. Mexican Studies and former Director of the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Maria de los Angeles Torres is Associate Professor of Political Science at DePaul University. CONTRIBUTORS: Jeremy Brecher, Pedro Caban, Jorge Chapa, Maria P. Fernandez Kelly, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Manuel Pastor Jr., Saksia Sassen, Gerald Torres, Silvio Torres-Saillant, Carol Wise, and the editors.