54 pages • 1 hour read
The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail
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Essay Topics
Describe the features of Prevention Through Deterrence. How does De León show that the policy is not as benign as it initially appears?
Discuss the role of emotion and empathy in De León’s book. Why do you think that De León seeks to appeal to the reader’s emotions as well as to their logic?
What role do friendship and solidarity play in migrants’ journeys across the border?
What case does De León make for an archeological approach to learning about migrant experiences in the Sonora Desert? What do you view as the strengths and limitations of this approach?
How does De León’s status as a male Latinx researcher from a working-class background influence his relationships with the people he meets on the trail?
How do undocumented Latinx migrants compare with previous generations of immigrants to the United States? In what ways is there controversy around this issue?
Describe the differences in Euro-American and Latinx perceptions of the border between the United States and Mexico.
Discuss De León’s depiction of violence. What forms does it take in the narrative and how does Prevention Through Deterrence disguise it?
In what ways does De León show how family life is impacted by unauthorized migration to the United States?
What techniques does De León use to privilege the voices of migrants and why is this so important to his project?
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