The Others
Race, Regulations and Corruption in Mexico's Migration and Naturalization Policies, 1900–1950

Co-sponsored event with CCIS
Author: Pablo Yankelevich (Colegio de Mexico)
Discussant: Grace Peña Delgado
Friday, March 3, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (Pacific Time)


Author: Pablo Yankelevich (Colegio de Mexico)
Discussant: Grace Peña Delgado
Registration link
This webinar will be in Spanish and English
The Others reconstructs the history of migration and naturalization of foreigners in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century. Despite never receiving large influxes of foreigners, paradoxically Mexico has applied particularly tight controls on migration and naturalization. Why did it choose to limit the arrival of foreigners when their numbers were so low as a proportion of the total population? In a nation riven by ethnic prejudices and with post-revolutionary governments swift to criticize racial discrimination, what can explain the strong racialization of naturalization and migration policies? First published in Spanish, this award-winning book sheds light on the origins of many migration-related problems still plaguing the Mexican government: irregular migration to the United States, the lack of any genuine control over the arrival and residence of foreigners in Mexico, immigration and naturalization red tape, the authorities’ corruption and arbitrary decisions, racism, and discrimination in its migration policy. These are all issues overlooked by historical research in Mexico and explored in depth for the first time here.
Sponsor(s): Center for Study of International Migration, Latin American Institute, Center for Mexican Studies, CCIS (Center for Comparative Immigration Studies), UCSD