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5 With hunched back and on bended Knee Race, Work, and the Modern North of the Border  “It’sapictureofSanAndrésbeforetherevolution,”repliedMauricioHerrera tomyquestionabouttheblack- and- whitephotographhangingnexttoone ofPanchoVilla,revolutionaryheroandDurango’slegendaryson.“Wedidn’t ownanyland;weworkedthelandowner’s.”Whilereformpoliciessubsequently apportionedlandtomanyDurangoresidents,thatlandstilldidnot yieldenoughtosupportdonMauricio’sgrowingfamily.“[Therewas]not enoughrain,nocredit,nogovernmentsupport — soIhadtogotonorth.”As Guillermo,myescortandassistantinthiscommunity,andIsatinthemain roomofdonMauricio’ssmallhome,hebegantellingusabouthistimeas abracero.“Ipickedlotsofdi≠erentcrops,”herecounted,“butbeets — that wasveryhardwork.AndIdidn’tearnmuchmoney — IthoughtIwouldbut Ididn’t.”1 Heabruptlypushedhimselfawayfromthetableandslowlystood up.Bentatthewaist,witharmsoutstretchedtowardthefloorandcrossing onelegovertheotherinasortofscissorsstep,hisbodyreflexivelyassumed thefamiliarposeofnearlyfiftyyearsago.Iwatchedhim,frailandnearly blind,andstruggledtoimagineamuchyoungermanwithhopesforabetter future.  IdidnotcometoknowdonMauricioaswellassomeex- bracerosImet, yethiswordsandbodilyportrayalofgruelinglaborwerecriticaltounderstanding hisbraceroworld:inparticular,itsoverwhelminglyhomosocial livingspaces,bars,andfields.2 Thepresumablybackwardpeasantswhoinhabited thisworldbattleditsorganizationsoastotransformthemselvesinto modernmenandreaprewardstiedtothistransformationaspromisedduring theselectionprocess.Therealitiesofthisworldcounterbalancetheimplicit hopefulnessoftheselectionritual,whichbestowedsocialvisibilityon formerlyinvisible,thoughlegal,citizensandimbuedthemenandtheirlabor (deemedtoinstilla“revolutionaryconsciousness”)withanimportancenot Bracero Agency and Emergent Subjectivities 114 formerlyconferredonthesebodies.3 Thesymboliccapital — socialvisibility —  thattheselectionprocessaccruedtobraceros:howfardiditreach,andhow longdiditlast?  Myanalysisrevealsaradicalassaultontheconfigurationofmen’sworlds and,specifically,onthepatriarchalrationaleused — implicitlybytheMexican stateandexplicitlybythementhemselves — tolegitimizemigration. Menattemptedtoovercometheseobstaclesandrecuperatetheirmanhood. Thoughnearlythree- fourthsofbraceroapplicantsweresingleandyounger thantwenty- one — thatis,futurepatriarchs — recuperationwasstillmade necessarybymen’shomosociallivingandworkingspaces,andtheattendant lackoflegitimateaccesstowomen’sbodies,whichfurtherundercut claimstomanhoodalreadysuspectduetotheirinabilitytosupportfamilies inMexico.4 Braceroswouldpositionthemselvesasworkers(notfutureyeoman farmers)asawaytogainrespectfortheirlaborandthemselves,andto pushforgrowers’compliancewithcontractstipulationsbelievedtoaccompany thismodernsocialposition.Migrants’strugglesforcomplianceand respecthighlightlong- standingpracticesofborder.Theveryenactmentsof race,class,gender,sexuality,andnationalitythathadmarkedmenasforeign attheborderwerereproducedinCalifornia’sarrivalcelebrations,barracks, bars,andfields.Menstruggledforconfirmationasmodernsubjectswithin thesetorganizationoftheprogram,againstU.S.practicesofborderthatreproduced theirexclusionfromthemodernandlimitedtheeconomicandsocial benefitsthatmigrationwasexpectedtobring.Thatis,theconfiguration ofU.S.membershipalongamodern/nonmodernaxisstructuredtheprogram benefitsavailabletobracerosandthelinesalongwhichtheyfoughtforthese benefits.Thisconfiguration,then,becametheU.S.- Mexicoborder. Welcome to el norte Whenbracerosfinishedtheselectionprocess,theywereassignedtoagrower andbeganthelastlegofthejourney.5 Thesamescrutinythattheirbodies andcharacterhadreceiveddidnotextendtothetransportationthatferried themnorthward.Whilecontractsmandatedminimumsafetystandards,in practicegrowerschosethemodeofthistransportation,justastheywould choosetheformthatwouldhaulmenbetweenlaborcampsandworksites.6  Beitinoldschoolbuses,largestocktrailers,oropen- bedtrucks...

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