Borders & Walls
A story of migration, borders, and walls around the World as investigated by the members of the University of Richmond SSIR.
Borders & Walls Course
The Borders & Walls Sophomore Scholars in Residence (SSIR) course is a living-learning program at the University of Richmond. The course combines a traditional Anthropology course with co-curricular learning experiences. Dr. Margaret Dorsey , a University of Richmond Professor of Anthropology and award-winning author, teaches and helps students investigate issues commonplace to zones of contact such as cultural hybridization, the codification of notions of citizenship, and sovereignty. In viewing borders and borderlands communities through a comparative ethnographic lens, the course contextualizes issues faced by border residents at a global level as nation-states increasingly securitize borders.
Syllabus Material
During the Fall semester of our SSIR, we read and discussed a variety of ethnographies and articles written by anthropologists, sociologists, and journalists about border walls and borderlands across the world. Explore the map below to see the locations as well as the reading material we covered in class.
Areas studied by the Borders & Walls SSIR.
Borders & Walls Research
Click on the underlined word in each location to view the student's project.
Note: Some videos may have to be downloaded in order to view due to the size of the file.
The University of Richmond
The University of Richmond. Click to expand.
Our story starts at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. While our course was held over Zoom for the entire academic year, Dr. Dorsey and students were able to check in weekly to debate, discuss, and learn about borders in different nations.
Aesthetics & the Richmond Flood-wall
Aesthetics & the Richmond Flood-wall. Click to expand.
Bailey Santaguida investigated the racist history of both the Richmond, VA flood-wall and the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Her audiovisual slideshow analyzes the modern-day aesthetic and art of both of these border walls, to see how citizens are reclaiming the walls for themselves.
Segregation Walls & High View Park, Arlington, VA
Segregation Walls & High View Park, Arlington, VA. Click to expand.
Hannah Hald's audiovisual presentation explores the life and legacy of a Jim Crow-era segregation wall in High View Park in Arlington, VA.
The Psychological Effects of Walls
The Psychological Effects of Walls . Click to expand.
Anna Murdock's podcast investigates the impact of walls on people’s psychological and neurological health. In her research, she argues that while the exclusionary function of walls cannot be changed, finding ways to inspire positive interactions along borders can be a way to promote well-being in residents of borderlands.
The Impact of Rhetoric on the Divide Between Immigrants & Institutions
The Impact of Rhetoric on the Divide Between Immigrants & Institutions. Click to expand.
In her audiovisual presentation, Milly Santana argues that presidential rhetoric has a more influential role in day-to-day life than many may think. The way presidents have spoken about and to immigrants has shaped the institutions that serve the people and the feelings of safety within immigrant communities. Because presidential rhetoric has influenced the way institutions treat people, more specifically immigrants, there has been a barrier created in which immigrants no longer feel safe reaching out to certain institutions like the police. Milly specifically looked at Norfolk, VA and the experiences of immigrants who live there. A transcription of the interviews included in her project is available here.
Rhetoric in Buffalo, NY
Rhetoric in Buffalo, NY. Click to expand.
One of Milly Santana's interviewees described their experience in their hometown of Buffalo, NY.
Rhetoric in Winston-Salem, NC
Rhetoric in Winston-Salem, NC. Click to expand.
An interviewee featured in Milly Santana's documentary describes how the institution of the police is viewed and interacted with in Winston-Salem, NC.
Rhetoric in Miami, FL
Rhetoric in Miami, FL. Click to expand.
Milly Santana interviewed a woman who has lived in Miami, two towns in North Carolina, as well as Norfolk.
The Complexity of Barriers in Latino Neighborhoods
The Complexity of Barriers in Latino Neighborhoods . Click to expand.
Christopher Ortiz's essay investigates how and why residents of Latino neighborhoods form barriers. He primarily interviewed residents from his hometown of Round Lake, Illinois, as well as the surrounding towns of Grayslake and West Lawn. From his research, he argues Latino neighborhoods create both imagined and physical borders between themselves and other communities.
Complex Barriers in West Lawn, IL
Complex Barriers in West Lawn, IL. Click to expand.
Another Chicago suburb researched by Christopher Ortiz.
U.S. Migration Policy: Prevention Through Deterrence
U.S. Migration Policy: Prevention Through Deterrence. Click to expand.
Lizeth Ramirez's podcast discusses the US-Mexico border through an exploration of a set of border policies instituted by the United States intended to deter migrants from Mexico. Her podcast features a discussion with Simon Y. Sandoval-Moshenberg, the Legal Director of the Immigrant Advocacy Program. She argues human rights abuses have occurred specifically as a result of the Prevention Through Deterrence policy. This podcast forces us to consider why international human rights laws do not apply to the United States.
Comparative Colonial Policy: How U.S. and Canadian Laws Make Insiders Outsiders
Comparative Colonial Policy: How U.S. and Canadian Laws Make Insiders Outsiders. Click to expand.
In his story map, Marco Consuelo compared the US-Mexico Border to the US-Canada Border, arguing that colonialism and policies that exclude populations from their ancestral land still circulate today, whether it be in Mexico or Canada. Specifically, he investigated how the deterritorialization of populations and their reterritorialization as "intruders" into a landscape affects language and the environment. Marco primarily focused on the town of Marfa, Texas and the border region of Quebec, Canada.
European Migration Policy & the Covid-19 Pandemic
European Migration Policy & the Covid-19 Pandemic. Click to expand.
Julia Berutti's podcast explores the question of what countries owe to non-citizens. Her research examines how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted refugees from Africa who migrate to Spain’s Canary Islands.
The University of Richmond
Our story starts at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. While our course was held over Zoom for the entire academic year, Dr. Dorsey and students were able to check in weekly to debate, discuss, and learn about borders in different nations.
Aesthetics & the Richmond Flood-wall
Bailey Santaguida investigated the racist history of both the Richmond, VA flood-wall and the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Her audiovisual slideshow analyzes the modern-day aesthetic and art of both of these border walls, to see how citizens are reclaiming the walls for themselves.
Segregation Walls & High View Park, Arlington, VA
Hannah Hald's audiovisual presentation explores the life and legacy of a Jim Crow-era segregation wall in High View Park in Arlington, VA.
The Psychological Effects of Walls
Anna Murdock's podcast investigates the impact of walls on people’s psychological and neurological health. In her research, she argues that while the exclusionary function of walls cannot be changed, finding ways to inspire positive interactions along borders can be a way to promote well-being in residents of borderlands.
Image: Wall Disease: The Psychological Toll of Living Up Against a Border by Jessica Wapner
The Impact of Rhetoric on the Divide Between Immigrants & Institutions
In her audiovisual presentation , Milly Santana argues that presidential rhetoric has a more influential role in day-to-day life than many may think. The way presidents have spoken about and to immigrants has shaped the institutions that serve the people and the feelings of safety within immigrant communities. Because presidential rhetoric has influenced the way institutions treat people, more specifically immigrants, there has been a barrier created in which immigrants no longer feel safe reaching out to certain institutions like the police. Milly specifically looked at Norfolk, VA and the experiences of immigrants who live there. A transcription of the interviews included in her project is available here .
Rhetoric in Buffalo, NY
One of Milly Santana's interviewees described their experience in their hometown of Buffalo, NY.
Rhetoric in Winston-Salem, NC
An interviewee featured in Milly Santana's documentary describes how the institution of the police is viewed and interacted with in Winston-Salem, NC.
Rhetoric in Miami, FL
Milly Santana interviewed a woman who has lived in Miami, two towns in North Carolina, as well as Norfolk.
The Complexity of Barriers in Latino Neighborhoods
Christopher Ortiz's essay investigates how and why residents of Latino neighborhoods form barriers. He primarily interviewed residents from his hometown of Round Lake, Illinois, as well as the surrounding towns of Grayslake and West Lawn. From his research, he argues Latino neighborhoods create both imagined and physical borders between themselves and other communities.
Complex Barriers in West Lawn, IL
Another Chicago suburb researched by Christopher Ortiz.
U.S. Migration Policy: Prevention Through Deterrence
Lizeth Ramirez's podcast discusses the US-Mexico border through an exploration of a set of border policies instituted by the United States intended to deter migrants from Mexico. Her podcast features a discussion with Simon Y. Sandoval-Moshenberg, the Legal Director of the Immigrant Advocacy Program. She argues human rights abuses have occurred specifically as a result of the Prevention Through Deterrence policy. This podcast forces us to consider why international human rights laws do not apply to the United States.
Comparative Colonial Policy: How U.S. and Canadian Laws Make Insiders Outsiders
In his story map , Marco Consuelo compared the US-Mexico Border to the US-Canada Border, arguing that colonialism and policies that exclude populations from their ancestral land still circulate today, whether it be in Mexico or Canada. Specifically, he investigated how the deterritorialization of populations and their reterritorialization as "intruders" into a landscape affects language and the environment. Marco primarily focused on the town of Marfa, Texas and the border region of Quebec, Canada.
European Migration Policy & the Covid-19 Pandemic
Julia Berutti's podcast explores the question of what countries owe to non-citizens. Her research examines how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted refugees from Africa who migrate to Spain’s Canary Islands.