Chapter 2
Embodied Anthropology of Migration...
Embodied Anthropology of Migration...
How does the author use “body” in his fieldwork ?
Thus the body is not something that “I have” or that “I use” to find data; rather, “I am” my body, and my body “itself/myself” produces field data. (pg. 34)
Where are crop workers on the farm labor hierarchy? What is their job?
Crop workers are on the bottom of the farm labor hierarchy. Their job is to harvest fruit.
What is the Violence Continuum?
Defined by Bourgeois: including not only direct political violence but also structural, symbolic, and everyday violence. (pg.89)
What is 'Embodiment Anthropology'(defined in the book)?
Anthropologists using their bodies as ‘tools to document experiences and collect data’ (pg.34)
Where did Susi do her fieldwork and what did she study?
Tanzania, studying Islam, Gender, and Intimate Relationships
What have Anthropologists historically imagined themselves as?
Historically they have painted themselves plainly documenting facts from the outside world. Nancy Scheper-Hughes states, “They pretended that there was no ethnographer in the field.” (pg.33)
How was dicrimiation evident when it came to Holmes and his friends on the labor farm (GIVE ONE EXAMPLE)?
how the Holmes being white, was able to keep his job and shake even when he couldn't pick the minimum, and the farm executives would make jokes with him and sometimes even help fill his basket
Or the Burger King example with the fries
Who is Albelino? What is his physical manifestation of suffering and what type of violence is this indicative of?
Alblino is a 34-yr old father of four migrant worker at Skagit Valley who suffers from chronic knee pain and tendonitis caused by the structured violence of segregated labor(pg.90)
What does 'Suffering' mean(definition from the book)?
not only physical sickness but also mental,existential and interpersonal anguish (pg.89)
Who is the Author of Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies?
Seth M. Holmes
What are the two different definitions of Field Work?
Anthropological method that involves intense observation of daily life of subjects and actually working in the field
What do checkers make sure of and where do they stand during the day?
During the day, the checkers try to make sure the berries brought in are ripe without being rotten or having leaves attached. They sit or stand in the shade of overhead umbrellas or in the sunshine as they speak or laugh with each other. pg.68
What is Bernardo’s story a symbol of when it comes to violence(what kind of violence is it)?
"political-direct violence", international policies structure the Mexican state's interactions with indigenous groups, political parties in competition, and land rights, colonialism, and fear of the "other" (pg. 103-107)
What does 'Hierarchy' on the labor farm look like?
Farm Executives: promote a positive view of the farm in the local community and oversee all operations of farm in a way as to ensure profitability.
Administrative Assistants: most white, along with a few Latina U.S. citizens. ALL females. They work seated at desks in open spaces without privacy. They are in charge of reception, interacting in both local white residents and businesspeople as well as with Mexican farm-workers.(60)
Crop Managers: in charge of all the details involved in the efficient production of a specific crop, from plowing to planting, pruning to spraying, picking to delivery to the processing plant. Private office in the field house amid the blueberry and strawberry fields close to the largest labor. Do sometimes walk through the fields overseeing. (62)
Supervisors: often called crew bosses, work under each crop manager. Each in charge of a crew of approximately ten to twenty pickers. Walk through the rows, inspecting and telling workers to pick faster. Most are U.S. Latinos, with a few white U.S citizens, a few mestizo Mexicans, and one indigenous Mixtec Oaxacan. Live in insulated year-round labor camps.
Checkers: local white teenagers punch the beginning and end times as well as the weights of each bucket of berries brought in on each picker’s daily work tickets. They are told certain times to punch in and punch out often when the workers are not finished picking yet.
Field workers paid per hour: work 7 days a week from 5 a.m. until early evening. small groups who are paid minimum hourly wage. Field worker paid by weight pickers: paid by certain amount per pound of fruit harvested. Mexican crew - contract workers and are paid a certain amount per unit of fruit harvested. White crew - don’t have minimum weight to pick each day in order to keep their job.
What illness did Layla's father suffer from? What factors contributed to this?
Kidney failure, Arab spring in Egypt
What are examples of U.S policies that impacting migrant workers?
1994 “save our state” initiative which denies public services to anyone reasonably suspected of being undocumented
NAFTA
2004 AZ Taxpayer and Citizenship protection Act -requires proof of citizenship in order to vote, proof of immigration status to receive public benefits
What are some key differences between the lives of Trique in California and their lives in Washington? What is an example of this difference from the text?
Although the social hierarchy is the same, the everyday lives of the trique people in California were worse. (pg.83)
Ex. “Most contractors prohibited driving oneself or walking to the field, we had to get a ride form the “ride giver” almost always a relative of the contractor, for $5 to $7 a day” (pg.82)
Why are health statistics on migrant health inexact? How does the ‘Healthy latino Paradox’ factor into this?
The healthy latino paradox is the assumption that “there are certain health conditions for which Latino populations over all fare better than other ethnic groups, despite having relatively lower socioeconomic status” (pg.100) but in actuality Migrant farmworkers bear a disproportionate burden of sickness
Health stats are inexact due to: fear of reporting health problems, inaccuracy of the census, and the amount of farmworkers who migrate back to their country of origin as they age or become disabled. (pg.100)
What does 'Habitus' mean(definition from the book)?
“the mixture of bodily comportments, dispositions, tastes and desires accreted (sequentially layered) over a lifetime of experiences” (pg.35) How you experiences and lifestyle inform your habits/how you navigate the world
What is voluntourism?
A form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity:
Short term,Tourism focused, $$$, Few - No skills required
What is Holme's analysis on the situation?
On Pg.30
Workers don't have a lot of choice, either working the fields here or in America.
Flexible workers, able to relocate for free without costing businesses money
Provide cheap labor
What is Conjugated Oppression and how is it seen in migrant labor dynamics in Skagit?
Ethnicity/class working together to produce an oppression different from that produced by either (ethnicity or class) alone. Exemplified In the combined oppression of Trique ethnicity in the labor hierarchy along with their class and citizenship status (pg.50)
Who is Crecencio and how is he impacted by the social and symbolic forces structuring his life? How does this cause Crecencio to involuntarily embody stereotypes?
Pg.97, headaches , symbolic violence , scared he would harm his wife and family due to this headache
What does 'Allostatic Load' mean(definition from the book)?
understood biomedically as the accumulation of health risk associated with chronic stress--due to traumatic experiences crossing the border and fear of deportation (pg.101)
What are the three principles of action of social determinants of health?
A: Improve the conditions of daily life – the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.
Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources – the structural drivers of those conditions of daily life – globally, nationally, and locally.
Measure the problem, evaluate action, expand the knowledge base, develop a workforce that is trained in the social determinants of health, and raise public awareness about the social determinants of health.