Living on the margins of the State: a study from the Mexico-United States border

Abstract

The aim of this article is to reflect on the ways in which the marginal condition of certain social actors is constructed vis-à-vis the State, and in particular to explore their relationship with the local police in Tijuana, on the Mexico-United States border. It discusses the idea that it is in the margins, defined as the limit between two countries, where more robust structures and institutions that reinforce the State’s presence can be found (Das and Poole 2004). The hypothesis of this work is that the marginal condition of specific social actors is constructed throughout their lives in a combination of class and citizenship conditions that go beyond geopolitical borders and are condensed in the experience of migration, deportation and their lives on “the street”. Such marginal conditions are deepened by the violent actions and discourse of State agents such as the municipal police.