Talk of 'Broken Borders' and Stone Walls: Anti-immigrant Discourse and Legislation from California to South Carolina

Authors

Ann Kingsolver, University of South Carolina

Abstract

The anti-immigrant sentiments that propelled the passage of California Proposition 187 in 1994 – linked to an economic downturn and worries about NAFTA – have been echoed across the U.S. over the intervening sixteen years. This article briefly reviews public discourse about anti-immigrant legislation in a wave of other states from California to South Carolina, and discusses the convergence of anti-immigrant and white supremacist projects in the U.S., using the concepts of market citizenship and citizen surveillance. As new anti-immigrant legislation is proposed in the South, understanding it within its national and historical context is important. This discussion includes consideration of the role of metaphor in both fueling and countering anti-immigrant discourse.

Relational Format

journal article

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

Recommended Citation

Kingsolver, Ann (2010) "Talk of 'Broken Borders' and Stone Walls: Anti-immigrant Discourse and Legislation from California to South Carolina," Southern Anthropologist: Vol. 35: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/southern_anthropologist/vol35/iss1/3