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Reviewed by:
  • Border Spaces: Visualizing the U.S.–Mexico Frontera ed. by Katherine G. Morrissey, John-Michael H. Warner
  • Bonnie M. Miller (bio)
Border Spaces: Visualizing the U.S.–Mexico Frontera. Edited by Katherine G. Morrissey and John-Michael H. Warner. (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2018. Pp. x, 239. $55.00 cloth; $55.00 ebook)

Border Spaces is a collaboration between scholars from multiple disciplines seeking to link the abstract and material histories of the U.S.– Mexico border over the last two centuries. The project emerged from two events―an exhibition at the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 2011–2012 entitled The Border Project: Soundscapes, Landscapes, and Lifescapes, as well as a 2011 symposium, “Looking at Arts, History, and Place in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands.” Perhaps because the essays developed out of discussions from these gatherings, the collection is remarkably cohesive and comprehensive in chronicling the evolution of the U.S.– Mexico frontera from both historical and art historical perspectives.

One of the most creative and productive aspects of Border Spaces is the introductory format of the book’s two primary sections, which materialize as conversations between two scholars of different disciplinary backgrounds. The first “conversation” is between historian Samuel Truett and anthropologist Maribel Alvarez; their lively exchange raises many important questions and considerations that frame the book. They describe the border as a place of instability and uncontrollability: politically fraught but also ripe for artistic expression. The second “conversation” occurs between cultural historian/curator Amelia Malagamba-Ansótegui and art historian Sarah J. Moore, who discuss the implications of thinking about the border as a “politicized artistic space” (p. 115).

Part One analyzes the historical development of the legible structures―the fences, monuments, buildings, and cities—that physically comprise the U.S.–Mexico border. The set of three essays, organized chronologically, tell fascinating stories about the negotiations and contests shaping the border’s history, from the late-nineteenth-century survey campaigns to the 1911 tick eradication efforts that resulted in the first official fencing intended to control the movement of cattle across the border. Part One concludes with an essay that illustrates how newspapers largely valued and encouraged cross-border exchange between 1940 and 1965, revealing a brief moment when many perceived the border as a gateway rather than a barrier. Part One delineates the visual and material constructions that intensified border fortification and the racialization of Mexican migrants, but also challenges this narrative by reminding readers that conceptions of the border have not always been adversarial.

Part Two focuses on border art and performance from the 1980s to the present, using historical frameworks to interpret the intent of artists [End Page 272] and curators. Its four essays show how border politics and migrant experience have inspired an array of cultural productions, including virtual performances, photographs, murals, sculpture, and video. The authors identify various aesthetic strategies of “border art history”: the creation of politicized art to challenge border militarization, exhibitions seeking common ground between migrants and anti-immigrationists, and the use of “aesthetic absence” to find meaning in what is unseen in border art productions. These authors bring to bear different methodologies to weigh form and context, considering factors of agenda, contingency, government compliance, and audience to evaluate the potential impact and limitations of these artistic works.

I read Border Spaces as the nation was locked in crisis over the separation of parents and children at the U.S.–Mexico border, a highly publicized example of state-imposed violence to contain Mexican migration. In the opening of Part One, Alvarez asked: “Is there a ‘usable past’ that can instruct our actions in the present?” (p. 37). This anthology makes a strong case in the affirmative, offering multiple perspectives to contextualize the present crisis and envision alternative possibilities for the future. The collection’s interdisciplinary approach engages readers to think about how border politics have shaped artistic production, and in turn, how border art has functioned to catalyze change. In light of its sharp analysis and timely content, Border Spaces is a must-read for scholars and students across disciplinary boundaries. [End Page 273]

Bonnie M. Miller

BONNIE M. MILLER is an associate professor of...

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