Braceros: Migrant Citizens and Transnational Subjects in the Postwar United States and Mexico

4 Rites of Movement, Technologies of Power: Making Migrants Modern from Home to the Border

4 rites of Movement, Technologies of Power Making Migrants Modern from Home to the Border Onewarmafternoon,ÁlvaroGarcíatoldthecrewinthebarbershophow proudhewastohavebeenselected.“Iwasproud,too,”saidRamónAvitia. Stateo∞cials“tolduswewouldteachtheAmericansaboutMexico,”that “we’dbringprogresstoMexico,toDurango.”1 ErasmoBolívarechoedthis sentimentina1950lettertoPresidentMiguelAlemánValdés(1946–52). Whenheheadednorth,hewrote,hewantedtotakealonghis“undying pride”inMexico,“alongwith[his]sombrero.”2 “WhatIwantedwasanadventure ,”explainedMarianoChoresAlarcón,“[but]weweresoldiersofagriculture .”IfnotforMexicanfarmworkers,hecontinued,winningthewar wouldhavecosttheUnitedStatesalotofwork.3 “Theidea,”saidanother, “[was]toprogress.”4  Somebracerossoughtmoneyforfamilies,othersadventure,stillothersto “enrichthenation‘thatgavethemlife’andsubsistence.”5 Theirsentimentsof patriotism,progress,andproductsechoedtheMexicangovernment’sstated reasonsforsupportingtheprogram.Yetbracerosalsocametotheprogram fortheirownreasonsanddidnotautomaticallyendorsestategoals,once theylearnedofthem.Stategoalsweremostintensivelyarticulatedduring thelengthyscreeningandselectionprocess.Eachstepintheprocesswasa portalthatmennavigatedtoearntherighttomigrate,andineachofthese theywereexposedtothestate’s(mixed)message.Menincorporatedthose piecesofthemessagetheydeemedadvantageousandrejectedothersseenas undercuttingtheirowngoals.  Theprocess,however,communicatednotonlyMexicanstategoalsfor theprogrambutalsothevaluethatMexicanandU.S.stateactorsplacedon aspiringmigrants.ForMexicans,thismigrantwasanationalactor,whilefor U.S.o∞cialshewasastooplaborer.Screeningmen’sbodies,then,waspart andparcelofthedi≠erentiating,ranking,andattendantvaluingofparticu- Bracero Agency and Emergent Subjectivities 90 larkindsofbodies,cutalongracial,gender,andclasslineswithanational valiance.Theselectionprocessentailedpractices of border:evaluativerituals thatsymbolicallyrecreatetheborderinquotidianwaysasincommensurable di≠erence.Inthatway,theworkoftheborderwouldbereproducedinfuture exchangeswithU.S.growers,foremen,andcommunitylocals,reshaping howbracerosunderstoodthemselvesandtheirnation.Thatis,whilescreenings o∞ciallyassessedwhethermenpossessedtheskillsandphysicaltraits necessaryforagriculturalwork,themessagescommunicatedbythescreenings e≠ectivelyrecastcurrentdefinitionsofwhatitmeanttobeMexican, campesino,worker,andcitizen.Thisrecastingandthewaysmenstruggled againstitwouldengendertheirtransformationintotransnationalsubjects. The Selection  “Irememberhearingabouttheprogramfrommypueblo’smayor,”donÁlvaro toldmeduringmyfirstvisittohisbarbershop,“soItalkedtosomeofmy friendsandwedecidedtogo....Wedecidedtogonorthforthedollars.”6  Justminutesbefore,hehadunlockedthedoorsofthepeluqueríaandwelcomed meandseveraltownelders.Sittingonthebarbershop’slongbenches, mentalkedabouttheannouncementofgood- payingjobs,enticementsfrom friends,andreportsofeasymoneyandadventurenorthoftheborder.7 All hadheardabouthowbraceroshadreturnedsportingnewclothes,their pocketsstu≠edwithcashandtrinketsfortheirfamilies.Thesestoriesand images,alongsideeconomic“desperation,”hadpiquedcuriosity.8  Somemen,donÁlvaroinformedme,expectedthattheywouldgoforthe lengthofacontractortwo,getoutofdebtorsavealittlemoneytofinisha house,orbuyaplotofland,seeds,oracow.Otherssoughttopurchaseshoes fortheirchildren,amarkerofcivilization.9 JesúsSaucedo,with“noeducation ,”hadhisfamilyonhismind:“Iwantedsomethingformychildren.”10  CarlosLabastia,whowaswalkingaroundthemunicipalseat,saw“agringo” infrontoftherecruitingo∞ceandwasinvitedtogobutwasnotdrawnby financialneed.“Whatpiquedmyattentionwastheideaofgettingtoknow Americaandhavinganadventure.”11 Still,mostgotcaughtupinthequest fordollarsandheadednorthwithgreathopesforthebenefitsoutlinedbythe state.12  Aftertheprogram...