Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Democracy

Forerunners: Ideas First

by Cristina Beltrán

Why are immigrants from Mexico and Latin America such an affectively charged population for political conservatives?

More than a decade before the election of Donald Trump, vitriolic and dehumanizing rhetoric against migrants was already part of the national conversation. Situating the contemporary debate on immigration within America’s history of indigenous dispossession, chattel slavery, the Mexican-American War, and Jim Crow, Cristina Beltrán reveals white supremacy to be white democracy—a participatory practice of racial violence, domination, and exclusion that gave white citizens the right to both wield and exceed the law. Still, Beltrán sees cause for hope in growing movements for migrant and racial justice.

Forerunners is a thought-in-process series of breakthrough digital works. Written between fresh ideas and finished books, Forerunners draws on scholarly work initiated in notable blogs, social media, conference plenaries, journal articles, and the synergy of academic exchange. This is gray literature publishing: where intense thinking, change, and speculation take place in scholarship.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Race, Political Science, Womens, Theory

136 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2020

Reviews

[kyndal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. An excellent and sharp analysis with significant academic and historical connections - it could only be strengthened by incorporating capitalism and its relationship to whiteness however Beltrán achieves so much in 123 pages it would be unrealistic to expect her to present every component of cruelty as citizenship.

[Rizki Febriani · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty interesting piece to read during holiday. Beltrán higlight how Latinx population position in the U.S. is not as simple as it is. On one hand, the Latinx were immigrant and also subjected to a racist immigration policy. On the other hand, the Latinx also agent that support white democracy which persecute immigrants and people of color in the U.S. I gave it 3 because I'm not American, nor live anywhere in America, therefore, I find some of the background specific context was confusing.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very thoughtful and thorough book - not too long or too dense. Two big concepts sticking with me:
- ideas of freedom and liberty inherently tied in with colonization and land theft; Jefferson is quoted saying movement westward is the source of freedom (pp 39-40).
- discussion of Latinx border agents accepting border patrol jobs as a stepping stone to the middle class without a college degree (pp 97-8).

[Jack Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Some of my favorite topics of this book: American democracy is built upon concepts of freedom, sovereignty, frontier expansion, and exclusionary policy all centered around racial tyranny. Beltran argues that American democracy is white democracy, and that it has functioned since its formation, with violence towards the “other.” Violence justified through self-seeing superiority and religion against the indigenous population in North America helped lay the foundations for what America would become. From then, Americans continued to push the indigenous further and further west, as they viewed freedom as violence and movement (ironically movement is only freedom when it’s white movement). At the same time in the later 1600s, there was a purposeful and strategic shift to enslave only black people, as to make poor whites and rich whites create an alliance, forming the foundations of white Democracy and white America, where whites could always remind themselves that despite their situations, at least they aren’t black, or in today’s case, not illegal aliens. This legacy of slavery and its violence and atrocities can be felt in black communities today, but also in the treatment of Mexican-Americans and noncitizens. The legacy of lynchings is also discussed, and how those same feelings of vigilante justice through vigilante violence can be seen through the treatment undocumented Americans. In the 10-15 Facebook group, racist rhetoric and photos of dead immigrants circulated to border portal agents, similar to how photos of lynchings would be put on postcards and sent as memorabilia. These seemingly primal elements of past-America are still entirely present in what some consider a “post-racial America,” only in new facets. It’s also interesting to see how this continued legacy of racial tyranny has corrupted many (some would argue the majority after this recent election) Americans into working for the system instead of against it, even if the violence and hatred the system is perpetuating is against people just like you. Current and historic America so blatantly rejects anything but racial hierarchy, and it has become a foundation of the nation, and it begs the question, what is America without racial violence?

[Marina Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Beltran seeks to make sense of current immigration policy and anti-migrant sentiment by examining major points in history in which "whiteness" and "white identity" were formed, how these concepts evolved independently, and how these evolutions have influenced the notion of "white democracy." I read this as an e-book, and the excessively long footnotes were very distracting from Introduction through the first couple of chapters (so like 2/3 of the book). I had to step away for about a day in between chapters to let Beltran's synthesis and analyses marinate. There's a lot being discussed here, and it's all really interesting and important.

This is definitely a "wine and dine" read: skim the book, go back and spend a few hours really digging into the introduction, then revisit chapters 1-3 and conclusion

[Alex Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the subject. Really opened my eyes to the context that has led to our current political climate. I think, I’d never quite understood where extremists were coming from before. This book explores the root causes to the unrest and discriminatory practices within the states. I found myself made uncomfortable and angry (this is a good thing), it is compelling and it’s easy to understand. The narrative is complex but the language is easy enough for someone who’s not super knowledgeable to get.

I’d recommend this to anybody who wants to inform themselves about border politics and white supremacy but doesn’t quite know where to start. Definitely the most impactful book I’ve read in a minute.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. It's an B+ thesis but no one should have to read this except Beltran's phD advisor. The general idea is that Republicans can beat up on immigrants and asylum seekers for being "illegal," because beating up on US minorities is no longer socially acceptable. Beltran spends the first eighty pages of this 126-page book not mentioning migrants at all, just going over the history of white and non-white peoples in America in a way that shows she's not a historian. She also borrows the term "Herrenvolk democracy" and uses it over and over again. The next forty pages are a recap of all the awful things Trump did to migrants and why ICE is problematic. If you spent 2016 to 2021 in a blissful coma, this might be a good update, but you'd probably be better off reading some back issues of the Atlantic.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

to date one of my favorite non fiction pieces i’ve ever come across, so informative and powerful and brings your understanding of intimate nuances up so successfully instead of leaving you trying to fill in the prices yourself

[Sra. Beltrán · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely be referencing this book when I need to explain why "it is what it is" today.