The U.S.-Mexican Border Into the Twenty-first Century

Systematically exploring the dynamic interface between Mexico and the United States, this comprehensive survey considers the historical development, current politics, society, economy, and daily life of the border region. Now fully updated and revised, the book traces the economic cycles and social movements from the 1880s through the beginning of the twenty-first century that created the modern border region, showing how the border shares characteristics of both nations while maintaining an internal coherence that transcends its divisive international boundary. The authors conclude with an in-depth analysis of the key issues of the contemporary borderlands: industrial development and maquiladoras, the North American Free Trade Agreement, rapid urbanization, border culture, demographic and migration issues, the environmental crisis, the border Native Americans, U.S. and Mexican cooperation and conflict at the border, drug trafficking, and the security crisis brought by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They also place the border in its global context, examining it as a region caught between the developed and developing world and highlighting the continued importance of borders in a rapidly globalizing world. Richly illustrated with photographs and maps and enhanced by up-to-date and accessible statistical tables, this book will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in borderlands and U.S.-Mexican relations.