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UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Barbara Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Solidarity Witness: Collective Resistance to the US Security State Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7dc8x5dm Author Russo, Chandra Publication Date 2016 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Solidarity Witness: Collective Resistance to the US Security State A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Chandra Russo Committee in charge: Professor George Lipsitz, Chair Professor Avery Gordon Professor Howard Winant June 2016 The dissertation of Chandra Russo is approved. ______________________________________ Howard Winant _____________________________________ Avery Gordon _____________________________________ George Lipsitz, Committee Chair April 2016 Solidarity Witness: Collective Resistance to the US Security State Copyright © 2016 by Chandra Russo iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project is dedicated to the communities of struggle I have had the privilege to be a part of and to document. My dear friends on the Migrant Trail left an indelible mark on me long before I decided to pursue a PhD or to include them in this study. Over the past three years, participants with School of the Americas Watch and Witness Against Torture have also touched me in transformative and enduring ways. The kindness, hospitality, and camaraderie I found in these communities have made this project not only possible but also a joy to pursue. I hope to have offered some semblance of justice to these groups’ efforts and vision. The faculty committee that has shepherded me through this project- Howard Winant, Avery Gordon and George Lipsitz- have advised me with stunning brilliance and generosity. Howie has been a stalwart support since before I was accepted to UCSB, welcoming me into a community research project with PUEBLO upon my arrival in Santa Barbara, and creating numerous professional opportunities for me throughout my graduate studies. He has proven an indefatigable advocate for me and is also a wonderful friend. Avery Gordon is an intellectual force of nature and has been an invaluable interlocutor for this project. Her timely and abundant feedback, astute observations and probing inquiries have made this study much richer. Perhaps most valuable, Avery has helped me more than once to rekindle delight in the work when the path ahead felt murky or unpleasant. George Lipsitz has embraced this project with enthusiasm and care since its most modest inception. Accompanying me and this project for six years was no doubt an act of great patience, as I suspect that George has an uncanny sense of where each of his students is headed. George has helped me across many plateaus with his encyclopedic knowledge iv and interdisciplinary savvy, equipping me to do sociological inquiry in a manner that aligns with my intentions. George really does ‘walk the talk,’ which is apropos, since he has been known to take off his shoes, place them on the table, and explain that these are the most important tools for being the engaged scholar I, and so many of his students, wish to be. Many other members of the faculty at UCSB have given me and this project care and support. While there are too many to list, I will mention Verta Taylor, who taught me about social movement scholarship, mentored me closely, and has always been an immense support and advocate for me. I also wish to mention Barbara Tomlinson, one of the great teachers I had in graduate school, who offered critical guidance during a period of uncertainty in conceptualizing this study. Under BT’s tutelage, I forged many of the core ideas that shape this project. Thanks are also due to the tireless efforts of the sociology department staff, in particular Sharon Applegate, whose warmth and humor are an aspect of department life I have come to cherish. My research was made possible through the support of the UCSB Sociology Department, the Flacks Fund for the Study of Democratic Possibilities, the UC Center for New Racial Studies, the UCSB Humanities and Social Sciences Grant, the UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, and the Mendell Graduate Fellowship in Cultural Literacy. Upon my arrival at UCSB, I was blessed that a few graduate students, themselves already years into the program, decided to adopt me as a peer and ultimately a friend. Greg Prieto was my first co-author, and has continued to proffer helpful advice and no shortage of good times. Lynnette Arnold is a fantastic friend and has become one of my most esteemed colleagues, modeling habits that allowed me to finish the dissertation in a way that was neither nerve-wracking nor exhausting. Heather Hurwitz and Ali Hendley first met me when v they were my “teaching assistant trainers” in 2010, and I swiftly courted both of them to be my friends. Nearly six years later, dispersed as we are across the country, they continued to “train” me for the job market and the dissertation defense. Deborah Hobden’s friendship is one of the most valuable things I take away from these past six years. When Deb completed her PhD and moved to Seattle, I knew that it was the end of an era. I miss her heartily. I often joke that I acquired a cycling habit while in graduate school, but during my hundreds of road miles, I have found a group of friends I would have never expected for myself. Lee VanHouten and Hilary Howard, in particular, have become my Ventura family, and I will miss their love, generosity, and companionship more than I care to predict. Emma Groetzinger’s profound influence on my thinking, my political commitments and my life began when we were both in college, and no doubt reveals itself throughout this project. Emma is a consummate friend and an inspiration to me always. I owe my life partner, Andy Pattison, the greatest debt for this project. He has made innumerable sacrifices to be with me on this journey, and I am grateful everyday that I get to enjoy his boundless talents, intellect, humor and love. vi VITA OF CHANDRA RUSSO April 2016 EDUCATION Ph.D. Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara (2016) Dissertation: “Solidarity Witness: Collective Resistance to the US Security State” Committee: George Lipsitz (Chair), Avery Gordon, Howard Winant M.A. Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara (2012) Thesis: “Compassionate Bodies: Allies for Border Justice on the Migrant Trail” Committee: George Lipsitz (Chair), Verta Taylor, Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval B.A. Women’s Studies, Vassar College (2005) Departmental and General Honors, Phi Beta Kappa Thesis: ethnography of Cameroonian women’s group advocating for disability rights RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS Social Movements Race and Ethnicity Environmental Sociology Globalization Law and Society Social and Cultural Theory War and Peace Ethnography Embodiment and Health PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS 2016. “Witness Against Torture, Guantánamo, and Solidarity as Resistance.” Chandra Russo. Race & Class. October. 2016. “Climate Action Planning: An Intersectional Approach to The Urban Equity Dilemma.” Chandra Russo and Andrew Pattison. Systemic Crises: Race, Class, Gender and Global Climate Change. Edited by Phoebe Godfrey and Denise Torres. Routledge. 2014. “Allies Forging Collective Identity: Embodiment and Emotions on the Migrant Trail.” Chandra Russo. Mobilization: An International Journal. 19(1): 67-82. WORKS IN PROGRESS “The Pitfalls and Promises of Climate Action Plans: Transformative Adaptation as Resilience Strategy in US Cities.” Chandra Russo and Andy Pattison. (Provisional Acceptance for Resilience, Environmental Justice and the City forthcoming with Routledge). “Memorial Ritual as Resistance to the US National Security State.” (Provisional Acceptance for Global Raciality: Empire, Postcoloniality, and Decoloniality forthcoming with Routledge). vii BOOK REVIEWS 2014. “Book Review: Beyond black: celebrity and race in Obama’s America.” Chandra Russo. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 37(5): 923-924. 2012. “Review: Chandan Reddy, FREEDOM WITH VIOLENCE: Race, Sexuality, and the US State.” Chandra Russo and Howard Winant. Sexualities. 15(8): 1020- 1022. PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY PUBLICATIONS 2012. “(Mis)Trusting the Police: Gauging Levels of Confidence between the Latina/o Community and the Santa Barbara Police.” Greg Prieto, Chandra Russo and Howard Winant. University of California Center for New Racial Studies. 2012. “Connecting the Dots: How Immigrant Repression and U.S. Incarceration Serve Global Capitalist Interests.” Chandra Russo. American Friends Service Committee: http://afsc.org/document/how-immigrant-repression-and-us-incarceration-serve-global- capitalist-interests. 2009. “Near the border, a trail of tears.” Chandra Russo. Guest Column, June 14. Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_12573219?source=bb. FELLOWSHIPS, RESEARCH GRANTS and AWARDS 2015-2016. Steve and Barbara Mendell Graduate Fellowship in Cultural Literacy 2015. UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center Pre-Doctoral Fellowship 2014. UC New Racial Studies Graduate Research Grant 2014. UCSB Graduate Division Humanities and Social Science Research Grant 2013. Flacks Fund for the Study of Democratic Possibilities Research Grant 2013. UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center Graduate Affiliates Program 2011, 2013, 2015. Sociology Department Research and Travel Grants 2010-2014. Fee Fellowship, Department of Sociology 2010. UC Dean’s Fellowship TEACHING EXPERIENCE