Join us for an information session to learn about the 2023-2024 Borderlands Study Away Program (Winter Intersession 2023-2024)

Thursday, April 27, 3:00pm, 110 Bailey Hall

ANTH 322: Anthropology of Borderlands (4 credits) is a winter intersession study away program that brings students to the historic Southwest city of Tucson, Arizona, situated in the iconic Sonoran Desert. Our objective is to explore the border region as a space of crossing and encounter, one where people's lives are shaped by migration and the many legal, economic, historical, and cultural factors that shape the migration experience. In Tucson we partner with BorderLinks, a nonprofit organization that "raises awareness about the impact of the border and immigration policies, and inspires action for social transformation." As a delegation with BorderLinks we will learn from local experts, including immigrants, scholars, activists, artists, and members of government agencies and humanitarian organizations. We learn first-hand about the factors that drive people to risk their lives crossing the desert and see how the Southwest has been shaped by centuries of settler colonialism and migration. 

Activities include a humanitarian aid desert walk as well as visits to the wall at the Mexico-US border, to the historic Barrio Viejo neighborhood, to the San Xavier del Bac Mission on the Tohono O'odham Nation, and to the award-winning Sonora Desert Museum. On one day, students will serve as volunteers with a local community organization and gain hands-on experience with the work that they do.

Located 68 miles from the Mexican border Tucson, Arizona is at the center of state and federal debates and discussions surrounding immigration, specifically the unauthorized crossing of people into the United States via the Mexican border. Tucson is also a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

This program may be of interest to students studying: Anthropology, American Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Political Science, Sociology, Sociomedical Sciences, Spanish, and Women's and Gender Studies.

Program co-leaders: Jennifer Guzmán (Anthropology) and Bruno Renero-Hannan (Anthropology)