Donald Coerver: Review: Fevered Measures: Public Health and Race at the Texas-Mexico Border, 1848-1942 (original) (raw)

Fevered Measures: Public Health and Race at the Texas-Mexico Border, 1848-1942

Fevered Measures: Public Health and Race at the Texas-Mexico Border, 1848-1942, 2012

"Fevered Measures remaps the border as a space in which ideas of race and nation take on new meanings in relation to the development of the state and science. The book serves as a superior model for analyzing and narrating the transnational flow of people, ideas, and policies." — Raúl A. Ramos, , author of Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821–1861 "In Fevered Measures, through dramatic case studies, John Mckiernan-González brings exciting new insights to the intersection of state formation, racial formations, and medical discourse. Using archives on both sides of the border, he complicates our analysis of federal and local dynamics, earning a place among the best of the new borderlands historians." — Sarah Deutsch, author of No Separate Refuge: Culture, Class, and Gender on an Anglo-Hispanic Frontier in the American Southwest, 1880–1940

Transnational Immigration Politics in Mexico, 1850-1920

2013

This academic adventure began for me in 1996, and along this long journey I have received tremendous support from many people, who encouraged me to not give up on my goal of earning a doctorate degree in history; despite coming across faculty that tried to dissuade me from going to graduate school, remarking that it would be too expensive and not worth it. Nonetheless, putting that negativity aside, from the University of California, San Diego, I thank Eric Van Young for believing in me and encouraging me not to listen to people who doubted my potential. At San Diego State University, the many letters of recommendation given to me by Paula De Vos and Elizabeth Colwill allowed me to continue to pursue a Ph.D. At the University of Arizona, I have to begin by first thanking my doctoral committee, Kevin Gosner and Martha Few for not only having to read a 260 page first draft version of this dissertation, but my advisor William H. Beezley, for promptly giving me back valuable feedback and suggestions throughout the summer to make the manuscript even better. During my graduate school experience at Arizona, I learned to have a more open mind and to not hesitate to share my ideas. Prior to going to Tucson, I had read an article in U.S. News and World Report's annual report on the best graduate schools in America, and it cautioned incoming graduate students not to openly discuss their research ideas, as dissertation topics had been known to be "stolen." Thus, while in my first research seminar at the university, which happened to be with professor Gosner in the fall of 2006, I explained my research topic to my classmate, Stephen Neufeld, and as a result, only a couple of days later, he informed me that he had come across a U.S. Congressional hearing on a black colonization scheme in Mexico from 1895, saying

Illicit Inhabitants: Empire, Immigration, Race, and Sexuality on the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1891-1924

2014

The following study represents a long and challenging journey that began in the fall of 2001 and has left me indebted to professors, colleagues, fellow graduate students, friends, and especially my family, who encouraged and supported me when I needed it most, when I sometimes thought that I would not finish. The gentle admonitions communicated with kindness and smiles kept me going, and for that I am eternally grateful. I begin with my committee to whom I owe a great measure of gratitude. Ernesto Chávez's commitment to his students and his patient mentoring inspires me. I am deeply indebted to Ernie for setting me on the right path and guiding me through this phase of my education and career. He was incredibly generous with his time and offered invaluable advice when I found myself adrift in my research and writing. He is the kind of mentor I aspire to be. I also thank Emma M. Pérez who challenged my interest in Feminist Theory, Queer Theory, and Literary Criticism. Emma became more than a teacher and mentor; she became a friend, and I am a better woman for that. I am also grateful to Cynthia Bejarano, a fellow "fronteriza" who understands the complexities of gendered violence on the U.S.-Mexico border. My conversations with her about the brutality exacted on the feminine body have led me to think of borders in different and complicated yet exciting ways. I thank her for sharing her organic wisdom. I thank Jeffrey Shepherd for his guidance through the administrative process that this endeavor entails. Jeff's ability to endure my frustration with myself and with the bureaucracy was impressive, and that along with his genuine desire to see me succeed is deeply appreciated. I am also incredibly thankful for the support and knowledge shared by the faculty from the History Department at The University of Texas at El Paso. I thank Cheryl Martin, whose class on Colonial Mexico convinced me to pursue a major in History. I am thankful to Sam vi