Border, Order, Other: Reconstructing Identity in Laredo

This paper argues that the construction of border identity is centered around territory and thus dissimilar to both national identity and minority identity formation in the United States. People living in the border regions, especially in homogeneous Laredo, thrived, nurturing their Mexican cultural heritage within the country as they remained secluded from the political categorizations and negotiations. N.A.F.T.A. transformed the dusty little town into the largest inland port of the country, and the subsequent national spotlight on border issues has ushered in additional layers of control of the southern border. The economic makeover of the border has unleashed a cultural resurgence of identity, one that is fusing the border region to the national political framework. The shift in the connotation of “border,” the accompanying order, and the introduction of the “other” are reshaping the robust border identity in a different direction.