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“The rich empirical case studies in this useful book provide insights into the relationships between politics, economic change, and social differences in different Mexican locales. I will recommend this book to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students planning on doing field research in Mexico, both to learn about the country and as an example of how to produce ethnographic accounts that incorporate observation and interviews.”

—Derek A. Smith, PhD, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada


“This text provides compelling points of entry for the study of social and spatial dynamics of contemporary life in Mexico. Unique for its combined geographic and thematic focus, the book is especially well suited to introductory courses. Walker’s case studies encourage collective engagement, including through classroom-friendly features like discussion questions. More experienced readers in geography or interdisciplinary studies of Mexico will also find the book stimulating, as Walker’s place-specific case studies reflect more generalized political–economic and cultural–political transformations of Mexico. Selected chapters can be used on their own (for readers thematically focused on urban dynamics, or on regional processes of racialization, for example), but the book also rewards being read from beginning to end.”

—Nicholas Jon Crane, PhD, School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies, University of Wyoming

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Shrines of the Times: The Social Geographies of Contested Space in Tepito and the Historic Center of Mexico City

3. Identity and Place: The Social Geographies in the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca

4. The Social Geographies of Tijuana: Urbanization at the U.S.–Mexico Border

5. In the Dumps: The Social Geographies of Trash

6. Zoque Indigenous-Produced Space: Social Geographies of Los Chimalapas

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About the Author

David M. Walker, PhD, is Professor of Geography at the College of Southern Maryland. His international research centers on neoliberal urban governance, nongovernmental organizations, economic policies, and urban change in Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Tijuana. In the United States, Dr. Walker analyzes immigrant urban revitalization of first-tier suburban neighborhoods, contrasted with formal government revitalization planning practices. He is a lifelong traveler who has lived for long periods in Mexico and Spain.

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Audience

Instructors and students in geography, Latin American studies, and global studies.

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Course Use

Will serve as a core book in advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, such as Geography of Mexico or Mexico Studies, or as a supplement in such courses as Introduction to Latin America.