As the United States' response to the attacks of September 11; 2001; begins to take its final shape; perhaps the most affected area of the country is the U.S. borderlands with Mexico. The optimistic talk of the 1990s regarding trade; investment; and economic integration in North America has given way to a rhetoric focused on security; particularly securing and controlling all points of entry to and exit from the United States. Cities and towns across the Southwestern border have experienced firsthand the consequences of the new; security-oriented national ethos and practices embodied in the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The comprehensive security strategy now in place permeates the three border wars examined in this insightful work―the war on drugs; the war over the enforcement of immigration laws; and the war on terror. As Payan demonstrates; the effects of these three wars have been significant. They include a loss of local autonomy and a disconnect between the priorities of Washington; D.C.; and the local populations. Perhaps more important; they have created a rigid international line that represents a barrier to economic; social; and cultural integration―and a source of fear and suspicion between neighbors.Payan traces the history of these policies on the border to discern and understand the evolutionary patterns and common threads that join all three policies together today. He argues that historically the border has experienced a gradual tightening and increasing militarization; culminating in today's restrictive environment. This book illuminates the ways in which border residents are coping with the stricter border security environment; and how they navigate their daily lives in the face of an increasing number of federal bureaucrats and programs designed to close the border. It examines the significant conflict between the government's efforts to close the border and the border communities' efforts to open it.
#882896 in Books 2007-09-28Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; 1.13 #File Name: 026804127X312 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An Absorbing; Insightful AccountBy AlexanderJames M. Smith has written a first-rate account of the Magdalen Laundries and their place within the larger context of Ireland’s history. Written with clarity and power; Smith’s prose is compelling. I couldn’t put it down and devoured all 188 pages (the length of the book not including the footnotes) in little more than a single day.Smith provides a solid history of the laundries but also describes their place in what he calls Ireland’s “architecture of containmentâ€. He shows how they fit into the overarching system of church-state collusion that also birthed the horrors of the Industrial Schools. He points out that the Irish state as well as Irish society at large is complicit in the tragedy. He also shines a light upon the double-standard in which thousands of Irish women were sentenced to lives of incarceration and slave labor for perceived sexual deviancy while the men involved customarily escaped all punishment. Finally; he analyzes a variety of modern artworks about the Magdalen Laundries (plays; a film; and two art exhibits) and what they say about the modern perceptions of the tragedy. Along the way; Smith pulls no punches. He describes the horrors of the institution as well as the cultural assumptions which allowed it.An absolute must-read for anyone interested in the topic as well as anyone interested in Modern Irish History.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An interesting; but dry investigative reportBy William E. Hewitt JrIf you saw the movie "The Magdalen Sisters" this book will add a bit of new information. A bit dry and hard to read; it still stands as a stunning indictment of the cruel and inhuman treatment of the poor girls who were forced to suffer at the hands of sanctimonious "moralists" and the collusion of church and government who perpetuated this crime for so many years.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book would be excellent for a college courseBy Juana D PerleyThis book would be excellent for a college course. It does show how the legal system was in league with the church in stripping women of their rights. What is so sad is this was going on so late in the 20th century.
