PROBLEMATIZING SECURITIZATION AT THE U.S.—MEXICO BORDER: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION

Abstract

The United States federal government’s policies of border securitization have significant and negative tangible and symbolic effects on the Tohono O’odham Nation, an Indigenous nation that is spatially and culturally divided by the U.S.-Mexico border. In this thesis, I review U.S. border securitization policies and practices over the past three decades, starting with the strategy of “prevention through deterrence” beginning in the mid-1990s, and the effects of cultural degradation these policies and strategies have had on the Tohono O’odham. The implications of U.S. border securitization on the Tohono O’odham culture can be observed through the destruction of the natural environment on and around the Tohono O’odham Nation and the restriction of Tohono O’odham people’s mobility, which precipitates the loss of traditional language, impaired ceremonial practices, and a disconnect between Tohono O’odham people on either side of the U.S. Mexico border. I aim with this thesis to problematize and criticize processes of border securitization for their problematic foundations and their harmful implications. This problematization will be informed by Harsha Walia’s conceptualization of border imperialism, Lindsey Kingston’s discussion of cultural genocide, and the critical perspective of O’odham activist, Ofelia Rivas.