Binational Farming Families of Southern Appalachia and the Mexican Bajio
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology Anthropology 2018 BINATIONAL FARMING FAMILIES OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA AND THE MEXICAN BAJIO Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2018.289 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Schmid, Mary Elizabeth W., "BINATIONAL FARMING FAMILIES OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA AND THE MEXICAN BAJIO" (2018). Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology. 34. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/34 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid, Student Dr. Ann E. Kingsolver, Major Professor Dr. Sarah Lyon, Director of Graduate Studies BINATIONAL FARMING FAMILIES OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA AND THE MEXICAN BAJIO DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid Lexington, Kentucky Co-Directors: Dr. Ann Kingsolver, Professor of Anthropology and Dr. Carmen Martínez Novo, Professor of Anthropology Lexington, Kentucky 2018 Copyright © Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid 2018 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION BINATIONAL FARMING FAMILIES OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA AND THE MEXICAN BAJIO Over the last four decades, farming families throughout North America experienced significant transitions due, in part, to the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. This multi-sited dissertation investigates the ways in which a network of binational (Mexican-American) families organize their small- to mid-scale farming en- terprises, engage in global networks as food producers, and contribute to rural economies in the southeastern U.S. and the Mexican Bajío. To mitigate difficult transitions that came with the globalizing of agri-food markets, members of this extended family group creat- ed collaborative, kin-based arrangements to produce, distribute, and market fresh-market fruits and vegetables in the foothills of southern Appalachia and basic grains in the foothills of the Mexican Bajío. Members of extended binational families regularly negotiate social, economic, and political borders within and across regions, genders, and generations. This study shows how these binational kin use cooperative practices to navigate two distinct, yet interrelated, contemporary agricultural political economic environments in North America. The study counter-constructs stereotypes of Latinx and their roles in southeastern U.S. agriculture by focusing on a vertically integrated, kin group of allied, migrant farming families and theorizing them as binational collective strategists. Their sto- ries and strategies provide insight into the importance of temporalities and practices of kin relatedness to agri-food enterprises and suggest possibilities for alternative distributions of surplus value within the globalized agri-food system. KEYWORDS: food system, kinship, time, migration, rural livelihood Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid April 30, 2018 Date BINATIONAL FARMING FAMILIES OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA AND THE MEXICAN BAJIO By Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid Dr. Ann E. Kingsolver Co-Director of Dissertation Dr. Carmen Martínez Novo Co-Director of Dissertation Dr. Sarah Lyon Director of Graduate Studies April 30, 2018 I am dedicating this dissertation to Jesse Langlais, Adeline Langlais, Catherine Schmid, Tom Schmid, and all the families who generously shared their stories, lives, and time with me. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation, while an individual work, greatly benefited from the direction, energy, and insights of people in the U.S. and Mexico. Dr. Ann Kingsolver, my dissertation chair, offered insights and assistance without which this dissertation would not have been possible. I aspire to contribute as she has to theoretical debate and community efforts that enhance collective well-being. My committee members, co-chair Dr. Carmen Martínez Novo, and members, Dr. Diane King and Dr. Tad Mutersbaugh, contributed guidance over the years. I am thankful to them for sharing their thoughtful critiques which improved the quality of my graduate education process. I am also grateful to the various members of my writing group for their advice and collegiality: Tammy Clemons, Sasikumar Balasunda- ram, Victoria LeBeaux, Saakshi Joshi, Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth, Takami Delisle, Lilian Milanés, Chhaya Kolavalli, and Mauri Systo. This work would not have been possible without funding from the Wenner-Gren Foundation, National Science Foundation and University of Kentucky departments such as the Anthropology Department and interdisciplinary groups, including the Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies and the Appalachian Center. I would also like to thank the intellectual community of the Centro de Investigaciones Sobre América del Norte of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México for welcoming me to their center and for supporting my stay and sharing their ideas and encouragement. I would also like to thank Janina Tabilo Sagua for her assistance with editing my Spanish translations. I am grateful to the members of the binational kin group with whom I spent most of my time in the field as well as other people who shared their knowledge and time with me such as numerous members of farming families and agricultural cooperative extension agents, scientists, and economists (both current and retired). Finally, this work also would not have been possible without the loving support of my partner Jesse Langlais and my parents, Tom and Catherine Schmid, who encouraged me year after year to pursue this project and my educational journey. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................iii Part I. Binational Farming Family Enterprises and Global Circulations Chapter 1. Binational Farming Families of Southern Appalachia and the Mexican Bajío...1 Binational Farming Families ................................................................................................ 5 Counter-constructing: Whose Voices and Why .................................................................13 Ranchera Familia: “Debes vivir no donde haces, sino donde lo pases” ............................. 21 Study Design ......................................................................................................................31 Methods: Data Collection and Analysis .................................................................35 Positionalities .........................................................................................................43 Dissertation Overview .......................................................................................................47 Chapter 2. Time, Values, and Practices of Relatedness: Binational FFV Farming Families …………………………………………………………………………………………....55 Ranchera Familia ...............................................................................................................57 “Everything is relative in produce”: Farming FFV for the Globalized Agri-food Sytem in Southern Appalachia .......................................................................................................... 61 Farming Enterprises: Class Process, Time, and Gendered Kin Relations .......................... 71 Harta Familia: Kinship, Long-term Values, and Compadrazgo Practices .............93 Hacerse Compadres....................................................................................98 De Confianza............................................................................................104 Respeto .....................................................................................................108