Latino Threat Lecture

Last week I spent several hours editing an hour and a half lecture I attended by Leo Chavez on immigration and then my computer crashed. Luckly, I had also saved the videos on my friend's computer so I was able to retrieve them. My computer is being repaired and I got a loaner but it doesn't have the programs required to make a video, not even Microsoft PowerPoint. I think this is very relevant to the issues we must deal with when working with technology. Today, having a plan B is really a necessity to be able to operate with technology, which actually makes us more responsible and strategic than we had to be before. I am very interested in the evolutionary changes we face as a species today. Constant change forces us to adapt and foresee hypothetical situations we didn't have to before.
I really want to show the importance of the points raised by Leo Chavez pertaining the racism embedded in the construction of the Latino image as invader through immigration. I was finally able to edit the clips from the lecture and produce a ten minute version of Dr. Chavez's lecture. I put the video on youtube and I hope that people who watch it go out and buy his book to learn more about this complex and controversial topic. A strength of Chavez's lecture (and book) is the ethics and moral issues pertaining to a population which has been part of this country for many years, even before this country was formed. This population has had numerous contributions to the status we enjoy, yet the xenophobia and racism persist and have been accentuated with the conditions of the economy. The production of a fear factory in which we operate are design to disguise the real reasons for the downfall of our economy and has resulted in the scapegoating of one of the hardest working population in this country.
Throughout this semester, I have learned that one of the best contributions of digital media is the ability to give voice to the voiceless and provide access to many various narratives.
This class has really changed my perspective on Digital Media and has taught me how to use my creativity to produce more. I have learned so much from all of you this semester, thank you and I hope we stay in touch.

Latino Immigration

As a final project, I decided to pull together all lectures and others sources of information I have been collecting. I'm excited to put them all together in a digital media format. Unlike the typical research paper which is the format I have been following for the past twelve years I have been devoting to my education, this project is not going to sit in a box in my garage collecting dust. This is what makes digital media unique, its accessibility and dynamic form. This project is one that can be shared with many and can take other forms as others digital users can take it and change it, whether to enrich it or manipulate it to their interpretation. The main point for me is that it allows for discourse on this topic to take place, digital story telling brings it alive!
Through this project I incorporated my own experience as an undocumented immigrant, as well as books I have read on this topic. In the past couple of years I conducted interviews of undocumented indigenous immigrants in Orange County, which helped me understand the universality of the experience of the immigrant, as well as the feeling of fear and alienation I had often experienced. This semester, I decided to complement my research by attending various lectures, like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities annual conference, a lecture by UCI Professor Leo Chavez, and the film screening of 800 Mile Wall. By so doing, I reflected on the various myths versus facts provided by researchers on the controversy of immigration.
My hopes through this project is to provide the viewer with a different context on immigration. We often hear myths created by the fear factory which media tends to operate (mainly controlled by governmental powers and corporations) to increase xenophobia and racism against Latinos as illegal immigrants. I think it is necessary to offer a presentation based on academic research which is more objective and empirical in nature. Though by saying this I do not imply that this is biased-free as everything inevitably embedded with the author's biases. The main thing is to provide democratic outlet for expression.

Latino immigration

View more presentations from Leonor Monreal.

Is the 800 Mile Wall a form of genocide?

I recently attending a screening of the documentary titled The 800 Mile Wall by Jack Lorenz and I felt very moved and horrified by its message. In the documentary, one can witness the horrific ways in which immigrants trying to get in the U.S. die during their attempts. Many deaths go unaccounted for, but it is estimated that at least 500 people die annually trying to cross.
Many die as they attempt to cross the deadly desert, due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. Others die as they attempt to cross the canal which is being restructured to make it impossible to get out of once anyone falls in. In a border town in Mexico, a mother narrates the story of her two daughters who drowned in the All-American canal. The youngest one fell in as she tried to help her sister. The mother's pain, psychological and emotional damage is evident as she states that if she didn't have other children to care for, she would be dead, as she is already dead inside.
A key question one of the people in the film ask is how responsible are we for these deaths when we know about this situation and fail to do anything about it. What do you think?

The 10th Annual Day Labor Cup, an Ethnography

Soccer, the World Unifier
Through the course of this semester I feel that I have faced two worlds which at first seemed different in many ways, however both also were in constant interplay; media studies (through visual culture) and anthropology. I have always thought of myself as an anthropologist with some postmodern leanings, but now I have been fascinated to learn a way to incorporate applied anthropology in cultural studies. By choosing to do an ethnography I was able to see the way these two field merge together and feed one another, enriching the value of the results.


As we worked on this project, one of the most important theories that influenced my involvement with the project was Appadurai’s theory of rupture. Perhaps one of the most relevant themes of our video centers on the effects of globalization, evident in the need for migration and for creating new communities. In the article titled Here and Now, Arjun Appadurai addresses the effects of globalization and the work of imagination in regards to the theory of rupture. A general rupture in the tenor of inter-societal relations in the past few decades, needs to be explicated and distinguished from some earlier theories of radical transformation. (p.173)
The problem with modernization theory is that it creates a dramatic and unprecedented break between past and present, this view has been shown to repeatedly distort the meaning of change and the politics of pastness.Theory of rupture takes media and migration as its two major, and interconnected, diacritics and explores their joint effect on the work of the imagination as a constitutive feature of modern subjectivity(p.174).
More specifically, Appadurai discusses the following two key elements:
1) Electronic media and the tension between the public spaces of cinema and the more exclusive spaces of video watching tend to interrogate, subvert, and transform other contextual literacies. Electronic mediation transforms preexisting worlds of communication and conduct.Our ethnography does precisely that, it mediates through electronic media a larger tension which exists between those who should not be seen, who are in a sense powerless due to their legal status, and those of us who inevitably have power and belong to a privileged group with the power of mediating and attempting to give others a voice through our own voice (yet a mediated voice).
2) Mass migrations juxtaposed with the rapid flow of mass-mediated images, scripts, and sensations, thus a new order of instability emerges in the production of modern subjectives. This can refer to the actual physical migration which many of these players and day laborers have endured or it can also speak of the migration of their presence in the mass-mediated images available now. The instability of their ever-so-vulnerable status which can only be aggravated through the production of images available on the internet. The question of visibility emerges and threatens their ability to return next year and be identified and persecuted by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Additionally, Appadurai highlights the role of imagination and these distinctions in imagination in the postelectronic world which play a significant role. First, mediation; imagining the idea of migrating or traveling to other places. In this case, the day laborers imagined the possibility of a better life and through this dream they journeyed north, regardless of the seemingly impossibility of such journey. Secondly, and most appropriately for our ethnography, the distinction between the individual and collective senses of the imagination- a community of sentiment, a group that begins to imagine and feel things together. Film and video which create sodalities of worship, etc. like in sports. This is manifested in our video, the solidarity bonding of people from various nationalities, not only united by being day laborers or jornaleros, but more importantly, united through the passion for soccer. This is what has drawn us together, the merging point where we both our group and the so-called ‘other’ unite through our passion for soccer. Perhaps then we can say that through globalization, soccer has become a world unifier.

Elections Ads

Check out this video ad on the recent elections. Sen. David Vitter blatantly attacks immigrants as taking over the country. Let me know what you guys think.

Ghosts of Cite Soleil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2M4DFO_Dj4
I recently watched the film titled Ghosts of Cite Soleil and I was so intrigued that I decided to share it and get other people's perspectives on it. The film takes place in Port-du-Prince in Haiti and it highlights the lives of the Chemeres or the ghosts of Cite Soleil who are gangsters who allegedly protect Aristide. I was very surprised as I had always thought of Aristide as the "the people's president" with his liberation theology.

I really liked the film Ghosts of Cite Soleil the best because it portrayed what seemed to be the real life of gangster’s in Haiti. The voices we tend to always hear are those voices of the powerful and rich but rarely do we hear the reality of the oppressed. I think this is one of the best things of this class, that we have been able to analyze the perspective of the oppressed and her their story about the events that have devastated Haiti. I think the human experience can be a universal one in which human rights violations occur in many parts of the world and they are just as damaging and usually connected to the same reason, oppression by the rich.  I liked being able to apply Marx’s Conflict Theory to Haiti.

I wondered if this was staged in any way. I also wondered about the role of Lele with the Chemeres. In a way I question her ethics and professionalism in engaging in a romantic affair with 2pac. I think the film also in a way romanticizes and idealizes gangsters as “the good guys” when they are criminals and the viewer should not be feeling sorry for them. I understand the humanity which the producer is seeking to portray but we must remember what we don’t necessarily see, which is the damage these gangsters have caused others. How about the voices of the families of those they killed? We don’t get to hear their voices or their story.

Immigration, A Humanistic Perspective

I remember crossing the border at the age of 13. Despite having my passport and Visa, I prayed in fear as we passed the border patrol check point in San Clemente. Some years later, I crossed the border again, but this time without my family. I stayed here after my VISA expired and became “illegal” or undocumented. I remember living in fear of deportation all the time, being afraid of going to public places, every time a saw a police officer I would run away. I hated my life so much and at the age of 16 I dropped out of school and left to Mexico. Unable to go to college and work for a living, I had to come back to the U.S. This second border crossing experience was terrifying. I was about 18 years old and I was detained and taken into a room by three border patrol agents. I had lied about my citizenship and they threatened to “do anything they wanted to with me” luckily they let me go, unharmed but this experience scarred me forever. Every time I cross the U.S. border I experience fear and panic.

I got married and had two children and then decided to go back to school. Unable to qualify for scholarships and resident fees, I had to pay extra to attend college. Today I have earned a Master’s degree and will soon be completing my doctorate. I have come a long way from those days and I believe that my story represent what has made this country what it is today.  Immigrants like me have come to work hard and earn an education and be productive assets to this society.

One of the most controversial topics of today is immigration reform. It seems to be a very emotionally charged topic which emerges from the political propaganda of discrimination. Just the mere word immigration brings images of illegal aliens crossing the border in Mexico. Many ignore the deaths that have occurred through this journey, and many forget the way our U.S. society has been one of immigrants. It seems as though if the U.S. population has suddenly forgotten the history of this country, or perhaps it is precisely this history that is being played out once again

The xenophobia and exploitation of the new comer, every so often a new immigrant group came and found itself being the new exploitable minority. The same rhetoric of discrimination and fear has been used over the years, the same propaganda, manipulated to benefit those in power.

It is convenient to ignore the way that immigrants of color have helped build this country, from hard work of African slaves who were objectified by those in power, to the Chinese who built the railroad and then were forbidden from staying here. Many people ignore that from 1791 to 1952 U.S. Constitution dictated that to be a citizen of the U.S. a person had to be white. This kept people of color from becoming part of this society and reaping the benefits awarded to whites. Blacks were already excluded through Jim Crow segregation. Over many centuries, the contributions immigrants have made in the United States resulted in making this the number one economy for many years. Yet, how much longer can this country claim this title?

It has also seemed easy to discard the importance of Latinos historically in the U.S. and to portray them as “alien” invaders, criminals stealing jobs. Think of the irony of this! Who can be more alien to these lands? Those with indigenous blood or whites who’s history of colonialism has been one of exploitation and murder? Who can claim the title of criminals when looking at ancestors?

They say history is written by the winners; perhaps this is why we still have such hateful views on other minorities.  Today many economists and experts advocate for an immigration reform as a way to strengthen our economy. Alan Greenspan believes that if we close our borders and deport the estimated 12 million immigrants our economy would collapse. Today we must outsource many professional jobs, such as accountants, doctors, engineers, etc. By educating people who have grown up in this country we can strengthen the economy by keeping jobs at home.

Many times, the realities of others are invisible to the rest. The images we get about immigration are skewed and framed by those in power. It is time we look at immigration from the eyes of those most affected. From the eyes of the child whose parents are deported and is left abandoned in this her/his country. According to Nicholas Mirzoeff “Visual culture is a tactic for those who do not control such dominant means of visual production to negotiate the hypervisuality of everyday life in a digitized global culture.” Through this video essay I hope to open a window into various other images of immigration, to give a voice to those who in this country do not exist.

I wrote this video essay in a way to give a voice to those immigrants in this country who lack the ability to be heard, and also in a semi-ethnocentric manner. I have always tried to hide my shameful history of being "illegal" attempting to hide this part of my past. By doing this project, I forced myself not only to come to terms to a major part of who I am, but to also advocate for people I feel identified with . I feel that it is my responsibility now to highlight this group of "ghost citizens." 

Works Cited

Greenspan Says Illegal Immigration Aids U.S. Economy

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=anIvyAQU6XRk

Koppleman & Goodhart, Understanding Human Difference

Leo Chavez, The Latino Threat

Nicholas Mirzoeff, The Visual Culture Reader

Race, The Power of an Illusion. Episode 3- The Houses We Live In

Human Rights in Haiti- An admirable advocate

Haiti has been for years as much a place where suffering and human rights violations are rampant, as well as a place where love for family, friends and devout religion hold this frail society together. In order to understand Haiti's population we must first look at its history and the richness of its culture. Sadly the information we receive about Haiti is not only bent by the impact of the U.S. but it is also full of racism. Voodoo, one of the core aspect of this culture is not misunderstood but vilified by westerners. Yet, it is interesting when westerners like Paul Farmer take an active role not only in unmasking these myths, but to actually helping.

To understand Haiti’s AIDS situation, we must first look at the complex interaction between religious beliefs about death and social practices. Many anthropologists believe that there is a universal belief of life after death among cultures, a universal belief in immortality yet variation on the degree and type of interaction the living have with the dead. Arthur Lehman (2009) said that there is a basic human need to believe in ghosts and worship ancestors.

Voodoo or (Vodoun) has been the leading religion in Haiti for many years. Voodoo is a syncretic religion which encompasses ideology from Yoruban traditional ideology as well as Catholicism. It is an institutionalized religion with priests and ceremonies which has traditionally had a high reliance on secret societies. According to McCarthy Brown (in Lehman, 2009) as much as 90% of people in Haiti practice voodoo, making it a key aspect of Haitian population. This religion is very much intertwined with a belief in the power of spirits and the dead. There are loosely organized priesthoods where participants aim at being possessed to communicate with the main spirits of voodoo. Possession is a religious goal not something they fear. There are different practices between those Haitians in rural areas versus those in urban areas. Urban Haitians practices of Voodoo are a bit more in line with Catholic practices. Rural practices on the other hand, center more on family and friends, ceremonies are usually rituals held at local cementeries. Paul Farmer discusses some of these rural rituals in his narration of Dieudonne’s story when his family seeks the help of a hougan (a voodoo priest).  It is difficult to summarize the complexity of this religion. However, it is very important to understand it without judging it as inferior or evil in order to holistically analyze the social attitudes Haitians have about the effects, causation, and treatment of AIDS. Paul Farmer attempts to do this complicated task in his book, where his broad mission can be appreciated and very much commended despite his idealism.

Paul Farmer has been referred to as a God by some of his patients. He is an anthropologist and a physician. Farmer specialty is infectious disease and he has been an activist to care for patients of infectious diseases in many developing countries, including Peru, Mexico, Siberia, and Haiti. His mission is to provide equitable health care on a global scale. To do this he focuses on some of the poorest countries with most infectious diseases. In 1987 Paul Farmer along with others founded Partners in Health, a nonprofit organization providing health cares for poor countries. They treat over one thousand patients a day in Haiti. He drives over three hours to get from the capital to the poorest rural areas in Haiti to treat victims of tuberculosis, his mission is said to be not only medical but moral. According to Melissa Blogg (NPR All Things Considered) Farmer has been influenced by Liberation Theology which is an side branch of Catholicism which believes that to be a good Christian one must help the poorest people. It is an interpretation of the gospel where God and Jesus promote advocacy for the poor. It is interesting to see some subtle signs of his ideology in his book where he discusses the roles of Catholic priests (in Chapter 10).  In a book titled Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder makes quotes many statements by Farmer referencing his strong Catholic ideology. 

Regardless of the reason, Paul Farmer has done what many other only contemplate, usually on days like the holidays where we feel more compassionate, helping those truly in need. Most of the time those in need are in such predicament due to the political and economic exploitation of western colonization. We must realize that our position of privilege is very much a result of the exploitation of the poor in developing countries.

Discussion Questions:

1.      How did people from Do Kay rationalize or made sense of AIDS or Sida?

2.      What is the interplay between religious ideology in Haiti and view on health and disease, including causation and cures?

3.      What are the sociological effects of these views?

4.      What is Paul Farmer's underlined position and goals in his research?

5.      Is his bent towards Liberation Theology visible throughout his book and research?

6.      How has the U.S. played a role in the spread of AIDS in Haiti? What is the U.S. current position in regards to Haiti?
Paul FarmerThe following video highlights some of the work his organization provides for various part of the world, including Haiti.

Bicentennial of Mexican Independence

This summer I visited a small town north of Mexico City named Dolores Hidalgo. This town was small yet huge in historical importance to Mexico's independence. It was in this town that the leaders of Mexico's independence convened to successfully organize against the oppression of Spain's colonialism. Despite being Mexican, I had no idea of the importance 2010 has to Mexicans. This year Mexico celebrates 200 years of independence and 100 years of its revolution. The month of September is bound to have many parties, yet I wonder if Mexicans can honestly celebrate our independence? How free or independent are Mexicans today?
When we look at the effects of neoliberalism to the businesses and economy in Mexico, we can sadly see the devastating effects it has had on its citizens. Many who have had to migrate to the U.S. and face even worst exploitation as they are a population of that does not exist. A population that is only visible to the employers seeking cheap labor to maximize profit. Leo Chavez (UCI anthropology professor) states that undocumented immigrants are in a situation that is worst than slavery because they don't even have food and shelter guaranteed, slaves as property were protected by the slave owners. What do you think?