LFB Scholarly

"Pathbreaking...effectively challenges existing scholarship on Mexican women's migration....Demonstrating an admirable command of the scholarship, Mendoza enhances the literature in borderlands, women's studies, migrant women's empowerment, domestic service, and migration to reconceptualize the significance of legal and illegal. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries." -- Choice

Description

Mendoza examines cross-border migration by Mexican women, who live in Mexico and work in domestic service in the U.S.. She finds that multiple factors such as age, financial stability, and previous work experience draw women to “migrate” across the border daily. In addition, gender, social class, and nationality transform the spaces they encounter crossing the border. These spaces shape the reception and the perception of their status as migrants. The legality of cross-border domestic workers fluctuates and is complicated by the “safe” and “risky” spaces they inhabit on their journey. Finally, Michele Lamont’s theory of symbolic boundaries is important to understand the relationship between Mexican American employers and Mexican employees at the border.

About the Author

Christina Mendoza is a full-time Sociology instructor at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. She is interested in the study of gender, migration, and the United States-Mexico borderlands. She is originally from the border city of Laredo, Texas. She is currently living in Fremont, CA with her husband and two children.