The Borders of Privilege

Auteur

Kara Cebulko is Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Providence College. She is the author of Documented, Undocumented and Something Else (2013).

Texte du rabat

Because whiteness is not a given for Brazilians in the U.S., some immigrants actively construct it as a protective mechanism against the stigma normally associated with illegality. In The Borders of Privilege, Kara Cebulko tells the stories of a group of 1.5 generation Brazilians to show how their ability to be perceived as white - their power without papers - shaped their everyday interactions. By strategically creating boundaries with other racialized groups, these immigrants navigated life-course rituals like college, work, and marriage without legal documentation. Few identify as white in the U.S., even as they benefit from the privileges of whiteness. The legal exclusion they feel as undocumented immigrants from Latin America makes them feel a world apart from their white citizen peers. However, their constructed whiteness benefitted them when it came to interactions with law enforcement and professional advancement, challenging narratives that frame legality as a "master-status." Understanding these experiences requires us to explore interlocking systems of power, including white supremacy and capitalism, as well as global histories of domination. Cebulko traces the experiences of her interviewees across various stages of life, applying a "power without paper" lens, and making the case for integrating this perspective into future scholarship, collective broad-based movements for social justice, and public policy.

Contenu

List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. Deportability: Navigating Power Without Papers in Everyday Interactions
2. Transitions Out of High School: Navigating Higher Education and Work
3. Love Lives: Romance and Marriage
4. Sense of Belonging: American and Ethno-Racial Identities
   Conclusion
   Appendix: Reflections on Methodology
   Notes
   References
   Index