A book by a UTSC Sociology professor has been honoured by the American Sociological Association.
Divided by the Wall: Progressive and Conservative Immigration Politics at the U.S.-Mexico Border (University of California Press, 2020), by Emine Fidan Elcioglu received an Honourable Mention from the committee of the ASA Section on International Migration Thomas & Znaniecki Best Book Award.
In the book, Professor Elcioglu details findings from 20 months of fieldwork embedded with pro- and anti- immigration groups along the Mexico-US border, and presents an examination of what drives their members. She focuses on activity in Arizona, which has become one of the most important points of unauthorized entry into the US for migrants. The harsh terrain of Southern Arizona鈥檚 Sonoran Desert is also one of most treacherous places to cross the border. last year.
鈥淥ver time, I came to learn that immigration politics is not just about immigration,鈥 said Prof. Elcioglu. 鈥淚mmigration politics has become a convenient way for people to express their distress about increasing inequality. This activism was also very personally meaningful to participants鈥 self-understandings. My interlocutors felt like they transformed into better people through their immigration-related activism. This is because activism gave participants a way to cope with the misery, uncertainty, and anxiety that they experienced as members of a highly stratified society.鈥
Divided by the Wall can be purchased and . An is also available through the University of Toronto鈥檚 Library website.
Read our Q&A with Emine Fidan Elcioglu here.