Smugglers, Brothels, and Twine: Historical Perspectives on Contraband and Vice in North America's Borderlands ed. by Elaine Carey and Andrae M. Marak (review)

In this thin volume of nine case-study essays and two commentaries, the editors and contributors consider, from largely historical perspectives, the transnational flow of contraband and vice across both the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders. Although long a subject in the popular imagination, especially the southern border, it remains an important and often misunderstood topic, so critical examination of the subject continues to be warranted.

In order to carve out a research niche in the rather large corpus of literature on North American transborder crime and vice and to help foster fresh insight on the topic, the contributors to this collection have clearly defined their analytical approach to and goals for the study. Specifically, they sought to "use bottom up, nonstate, and denationalized perspectives . . . to show how transnational flows across North America have worldly connections within the hemisphere and beyond . . . [and to] develop a new understanding of nation, immigration, modernization, globalization, consumer society, and border culture" (2,5). Moreover, they "consider the analytical categories of race, class, modernity, and gender" (5).

Organizationally, the nine chapters or essays are divided into two sections. The first is titled "Establishing Borders." It consists of four essays that examine "cases where specific tangible goods or people crossed national boundaries" (5). Here the case studies explore Chinese immigrant smuggling to the U.S. via Mexico and Cuba from 1882-1916, transnational Cree Indian experiences in 1880-85 and the development of lasting prejudices in Montana, the illegal movement of twine for wheat harvesting from the American Midwest to Canada in the early twentieth century, and smuggling during the Prohibition-era in the South Texas. The second section is titled "Consolidating National Space," and it "explores border crossing that do not necessarily involve anything tangible crossing a border" (6). It includes five essays: three set along the Canadian-U.S. border and two in the southern borderlands. They focus on sex tourism in Windsor, Ontario, government discourses involving vice and deviance affecting the Tohono O'odham Indians, transnational drinking and liquor regulation in Ontario, the legendary career of narcotraficante Lola la Chata, and LSD use in Canada during the 1960s. Additionally, there is an introduction by the editors, and an afterword by two contributors, both of which successfully place the volume into a broad contextual framework.

There is much to recommend this anthology. Each of the contributions is both academically sound and interesting, even if the historical case studies come across as rather obscure, peculiar, and place or time specific. They certainly confirm that history matters in our collective understanding of the North American borderlands, including the present state of conditions; far less has changed over time than one might well expect or has been led to believe. The volume sheds much-needed light on the shifting and nebulous notions of criminality, of what is deemed licit and illicit, legal and illegal. The contributions also reinforce the belief of many that the policing of the borders has been problematic at best, an utter failure at worst.

Undoubtedly my major criticisms of this volume, especially given its numerous and rather lofty-stated objectives, is the far-too-limited number of case studies. Consequently, it fails to adequately provide the level of empirical evidence needed to convincingly support the study's major arguments. On a lesser scale of importance is the authors' complete disregard in the case studies for conveying any sense of place; attention is devoted entirely to process and to personalities. This is reflected as well in the fact that the volume includes only two maps and eleven photographs, all of people, most of which are small and unclear.

Smugglers, Brothels, and Twine, despite the concerns expressed, is a welcomed addition to the scholarly literature on the North...