Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands

Edited by Sarah Azaransky - Contributions by Orlando Espín; Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández; M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas); Daisy L. Machado; Pedro Rios; Monica A. Maher; Craig Wong; John Fanestil and Ángel F. Méndez Montoya

Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands brings together leading academic specialists on immigration and the borderlands, as well as nationally recognized grassroots activists, who reflect on their varied experiences of living, working, and teaching on the US-Mexico border and in the borderlands. These authors demonstrate the groundbreaking claim that the borderlands are not only a location to think about religiously, but they’re also a place that reshapes religious thinking. In this pioneering book, scholars and activists engage with Scripture, theology, history, church practices, and personal experiences to offer in-depth analyses of how the borderlands confront conventional interpretations of Christianity.

Lexington Books

Pages: 204 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-0-7391-7862-1 • Hardback • June 2013 • $99.00 • (£76.00)

978-0-7391-7863-8 • eBook • June 2013 • $94.00 • (£72.00)

Subjects: Religion / RELIGION / Politics & State, Political Science / American Government / State, Political Science / World / Caribbean & Latin American

Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands brings together leading academic specialists on immigration and the borderlands, as well as nationally recognized grassroots activists, who reflect on their varied experiences of living, working, and teaching on the US-Mexico border and in the borderlands. These authors demonstrate the groundbreaking claim that the borderlands are not only a location to think about religiously, but they’re also a place that reshapes religious thinking. In this pioneering book, scholars and activists engage with Scripture, theology, history, church practices, and personal experiences to offer in-depth analyses of how the borderlands confront conventional interpretations of Christianity.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 204 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-0-7391-7862-1 • Hardback • June 2013 • $99.00 • (£76.00)

978-0-7391-7863-8 • eBook • June 2013 • $94.00 • (£72.00)

Subjects: Religion / RELIGION / Politics & State, Political Science / American Government / State, Political Science / World / Caribbean & Latin American

Author

Sarah Azaransky teaches in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. She is author of The Dream is Freedom: Pauli Murray and American Democratic Faith (Oxford, 2011).

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Border and the Borderlands
Sarah Azaransky
Part I: The Borderlands as a Religious Resource
Chapter One: Immigration and Christian Doctrine
Orlando Espín
Chapter Two: Alternately Documented Theologies: Mapping Border, Exile, and Diaspora
Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández
Chapter Three: How to Shape Christian Perspectives on Immigration?: Strategies for Communicating Biblical Teaching
M. Daniel Carroll R.
Part II: The Borderlands as a Political and Religious Reality
Chapter Four: Borderlife and the Religious Imagination
Daisy L. Machado
Chapter Five: A Tour of the Border in San Diego: Militarization of the Line and Criminalization of Immigrants
Pedro Rios
Chapter Six: Spiritualities of Social Engagement: Women Resisting Violence in Mexico and Honduras
Monica A. Maher
Part III: The Borderlands as a Call to Action
Chapter Seven: The Subversive Act of Breaking Break: How the Eucharist Transforms the Immigration Conversation
Craig Wong
Chapter Eight: A Divided Friendship: The Struggle to Save San Diego’s Historic Border Park
John Fanestil
Chapter Nine: Vicissitudes of the Margins: An HIV/AIDS Theological Journey
Ángel F. Méndez Montoya

Reviews

This pioneering book offers an in-depth analysis of the ways the borderlands confront Christianity. Every page insists that immigration and the borderlands must be at center of the study of Christianity. The arguments are new and important. Simply put, it is a landmark volume.
— Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Loyola Marymount University

Religion and Politics in America’s Borderlands is a passionate and original collection of essays that explores the complex ways in which life in the Mexico-US borderlands and religious practices, commitments and theologies are affecting each other today. Written by a diverse set of scholar-activists, this book offers new insights into the experiences and political realities that constitute immigration, and also provides practical tips for talking about them. This is an engaging, accessible and eye-opening volume that will be a valuable resource for professors, students and pastors alike.
— Susanna Snyder, University of Texas at Austin

This powerful collection of essays not only speaks about the movement of peoples across borders but also the movement to a new way of thinking about migration. Writing from the crossroads of church, society, and culture, these engaged scholars present fresh insights into the human challenges at the border and the interplay of sovereign rights and human rights, natural law and civil law, and citizenship and discipleship.
— Daniel Groody, University of Notre Dame