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Violence and Hope in a U.S.–Mexico Border Town

 

Jody Glittenberg

A timely and data-driven monograph enriched by the authentic voice of its Mexican American subjects, Violence and Hope reveals sociopolitical strife and power between the borders of two nations. It is a potent story of inequality of opportunity, immigration, drug and human trafficking, gangs, prostitution, poverty, crime, and family violence in “Esperanza,” a U.S. town 45 miles from Mexico.

Glittenberg tells how members of a community in need of transformation, riddled with drive-by shootings and competing gangs, be- come enraged by a violent event and mobilize to confront the wide- reaching issues they face. Esperanzans, in their growing awareness that violence comes not only from the outside but also the inside, seek financial resources and courage to escape from their cultural pattern of silence, complicity, and complacency.

To the Mountain and Back

Dei, Ties That Bind

Singer, The Face of Social Suffering

Singer, Something Dangerous

$14.95 list, 171 pages

10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-499-X

13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-499-4

© 2008

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“The adjustment problems of Mexican Americans loom as they become our largest ethnic minority. Glittenberg’s provocative analysis confirms that length of residence alone will not overcome the consequences of drug-related violence. In this holistic ethnography, courageous individuals, families, and eventually united community action bring hope to this Hispanic border town.”   — Robert Hackenberg, University of Arizona

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. A Violent U.S. Border Town

Beginning Fieldwork / Focusing on Fieldwork

2. A Profile of Esperanza

The Beginnings of a Hispanic Town / Weed and Seed: The Bootstraps for Hope / Habits of the Heart / Social Institutions / Views of Ordinary People / Community Rituals

3. The Culture of Alcohol and Drug Use and Abuse

Background Information on Alcohol and Drugs / Drinking and Drugs in Esperanza / Narratives of Alcohol and Drug Users / Cultural Patterns

4. Prostitutes and Gangs

Sexual Behavior as Culture / Problems of Prostitution in Esperanza / The High Cost of Prosecuting Prostitutes / A Covert Menace: Gangs / Perceptions and Opinions about Gangs

5. Drug and Human Trafficking

Conspiracy and Illegality / The Network of Drugs and Dealing / The Business of Drug Trafficking / Controlling Drug Trafficking in Esperanza / Human Trafficking: A Long-Standing Problem

6. The Structure of Violence

The Criminal Mind and the Violent Family / Murder Statistics / Homicide Survivors' Support Group / Rape and Sexual Assault: Violent Acts Feared in Esperanza / Violence as Perceived by People in Esperanza / Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence / Mi Voz Vale (My Voice Counts): A Community Effort to Empower Women / Funerals as a Community Integration of Violence

7. The Culture of the Shunned

The Homeless / HUD Apartment Dwellers / Monolingual Spanish Speakers

8. A Shift in the Paradigm

Causes of Violence / Doing Something about Structural and Personal Violence / A New Paradigm for Transformation

Appendix A: Questions Posed to Focus Groups

Appendix B: Questionnaire Used in Esperanza (a shortened sample)