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Questions and Answers

What is the term coined by Philippe Bourgois to describe the complex segregation in farmwork?

Structural hierarchy

Labor asymmetry

Social stratification

Conjugated oppression (correct)

What are the primary fault lines of power in contemporary U.S. agriculture?

Nationality, occupation, and income

Race, class, and education

Race, class, and citizenship (correct)

Gender, age, and location

How do people on the farm often describe the labor hierarchy?

With a pyramid of privileges

In terms of horizontal levels

Using vertical metaphors (correct)

Through a matrix of responsibilities

What determines the structure of labor on the Tanaka farm?

Asymmetries in society at large Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of the farm's labor organization?

Reinforcement of societal inequalities Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of the complex of farm labor on the Tanaka farm?

A complex system involving many distinct positions Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the attendees at the seminar?

To learn about the experiences of migrant laborers Signup and view all the answers

What is the occupation of the majority of the attendees at the seminar?

White, middle-class adults Signup and view all the answers

Why did Marcelina migrate to the United States?

To make money and support her children Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the challenges Marcelina faces as a migrant farm worker?

Dealing with the farm camp manager's refusal to provide a room for a single woman Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of the poor working conditions faced by migrant farm workers like Marcelina?

They are unable to send money back to their families Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the Triqui language in the context of Marcelina's speech?

It is Marcelina's native language Signup and view all the answers

What is the underlying issue Marcelina is highlighting through her experiences?

The exploitation of migrant laborers by farm owners Signup and view all the answers

What is the broader theme addressed through Marcelina's story and the seminar?

The struggles of migrant laborers in transnational labor circuits Signup and view all the answers

What is the main criticism of the 'Save Skagit Farmland, Pavement Is Forever' bumper sticker?

Promoting urbanization over agricultural land Signup and view all the answers

What is the main occupation of the migrant workers in the Skagit Valley?

Tulip cutting and apple and berry picking Signup and view all the answers

Which ethnic group is mentioned as part of the transnational circuits of Mexican farm laborers?

Triqui and Mixtec Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of the multilevel houses of the local upper class in the Skagit Valley?

They have picturesque views of the valley Signup and view all the answers

What is the condition of the migrant labor camps in the Skagit Valley?

They have broken windows and peeling paint Signup and view all the answers

What is the environmental impact of the labor camps in the Skagit Valley?

They create a dust storm waiting to be triggered Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between the agricultural land in the Skagit Valley and much of U.S. agribusiness?

The Skagit Valley land is cultivated by smaller family farms Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the Skagit Valley in terms of transnational labor circuits?

It is an important site for Mexican farm laborers Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Structure of Farm Work and Labor Hierarchy

The structure of farm work involves a complex segregation, referred to as "conjugated oppression," where ethnicity and class intersect to produce a unique form of oppression.
On the Tanaka farm, the primary fault lines of power fall along categories of race, class, and citizenship.

Labor Hierarchy on the Farm

The farm labor involves several hundred workers occupying distinct positions, from owner to receptionist, field manager to tractor driver, and berry checker to berry picker.
The hierarchy is often described in vertical metaphors, with responsibilities, anxieties, privileges, and experiences of time differing from top to bottom.

Skagit Valley and Migrant Farm Workers

The Skagit Valley is an important site for transnational circuits of Mexican farm laborers, including indigenous Triqui and Mixtec people from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Thousands of migrant workers come to the valley for the tulip-cutting and apple- and berry-picking seasons, living in squatter shacks or company-owned labor camps.

Living Conditions in Labor Camps

Labor camps consist of rusted tin-roofed tool sheds or small chicken coops, with plywood walls, no insulation, and holes and cracks that let wind blow through.
The ground around the camps is often deep mud or a dust storm waiting to be triggered.

Seminar on Migrant Labor

The seminar involves a visit to a farm and labor camp, with presentations and live interviews with people from all aspects of migrant labor.
Attendees include white, middle-class adults, along with a handful of mestizo and indigenous Mexican farmworkers.

Marcelina's Story

Marcelina, a migrant worker, shares her experiences of migrating and picking, speaking in Spanish, her second language.
She mentions struggling to make ends meet, having no room in the labor camp as a single woman, and feeling stuck with no way to survive.

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Description

Explore the complex relationships between ethnicity, class, and oppression in farmwork, as analyzed by Philippe Bourgois in the context of a Central American banana plantation.