Lissa Garcia Social Science
The Experiences of Transfronterizo Students in the Tijuana/San Diego Region
Lissa grew up in Chula Vista, California, where many are transfronterizos, students and workers who live in Mexico but commute to the U.S almost daily. Nancy Wonders advances the theory of border performativity where she argues borders are not only geographically constituted, but also socially constructed via the performance of various state actors in an elaborate dance with ordinary people who seek freedom of movement and identification. Thus, border performativity points to different technologies of control such as the social construction of the illegal and the securitisation of migration. Lissas research seeks to understand how transfronterizo students engage in border performativity. She will center how transfronterizos give meaning to their every day realities through in-depth interviews that focus on the interpretations and experiences of these students as border commuters.
