JORNALERO: INDIGENOUS MIGRANT FARMWORKERS ALONG THE U.S./MEXICAN BORDER by JAMES JOSEPH DARIA A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2019 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: James Joseph Daria Title: Jornalero: Indigenous Migrant Farmworkers Along The U.S./Mexican Border This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Anthropology by: Lynn Stephen Chair Lamia Karim Core Member Stephen Dueppen Core Member Robert Haskett Institutional Representative and Janet Woodruff-Borden Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the Graduate School. Degree awarded September 2019. ii © 2019 James Joseph Daria iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT James Joseph Daria Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology September 2019 Title: Jornalero: Indigenous Migrant Farmworkers Along The U.S./Mexican Border On March 17, 2015, tens of thousands of migrant jornaleros (rural salaried farmworkers) began a three-month long general strike that brought agricultural production to a grinding halt in the valley of San Quintín, Baja California, Mexico. The striking workers called themselves the “slaves of the twenty-first century” for being displaced from their communities of origin to work ten- to twelve-hour shifts seven days a week for an average pay of 100 pesos a day (roughly U.S.$6) without the benefits and protections afforded by Mexican labor law. This dissertation contributes to an understanding of how the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and class, make migrant farmworkers in Mexico extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Through collaborative and engaged research, I demonstrate and analyze the precarious conditions in which migrant farmworkers live and work. Despite this exploitation, through decades of farm labor and indigenous rights organizing, farmworkers have been active protagonists in struggles aimed at democratizing global agricultural enclaves in northern Mexico. I document and analyze their struggles for labor and indigenous rights, including the birth of Mexico’s first independent farmworker union. As well, I analyze corporate-sponsored programs of fair and equitable food that in iv their own way seek to improve labor conditions on transnational agricultural plantations with varying degrees of success. Due to economic globalization and free trade programs like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the U.S. and Mexican economies are intimately linked. Consumers on the U.S. side of the border contribute to the unjust conditions in the fields on the Mexican side through the consumption of fruits and vegetables made under conditions of extreme economic and social precarity. This research seeks to contribute to better understanding the living and working conditions of indigenous Mexican farmworkers in global agricultural enclaves along the U.S./Mexican border. Through research and advocacy it may be possible to end abuses and exploitation in global food commodity chains. v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: James Joseph Daria GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene University of Chicago, Illinois University of Cincinnati, Ohio DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Anthropology, 2019, University of Oregon Master of Arts, Anthropology, 2013, University of Oregon Master of Arts, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, 2010, University of Chicago Master of Education, Literacy, 2003, University of Cincinnati Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, 1999, University of Cincinnati AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Migration Farm labor PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Visiting Research Fellow. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California San Diego. 2018-2019. Graduate Employee. University of Oregon. 2011-2019. Spanish Professor | University of Cincinnati Clermont College, 2010-2011. GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Sandra Morgen Public Impact Graduate Fellowship, 2018 Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff) Graduate Fellowships for International Research, 2018. Food Studies Graduate Research Grant. University of Oregon, 2018. United Alliance of Labor Educators Research Grant, 2017.. Food Studies Graduate Student Research Grant (jointly with Samantha King) 2013. vi Center for Latin American and Latino/a Studies Collaborative Research Award (jointly with Samantha King and Dr. Phil Scher), 2013. Center for Latin American and Latino/a Studies Research Grant. University of Oregon, 2012. Global Oregon Research Grant. University of Oregon, 2012. PUBLICATIONS: Daria, James. 2018. “Community Music on Campus: Collaborative Research, Activist Methods and Critical Pedagogy in a Fandango-Based Participatory Music Program” International Journal of Community Music 11: 1 (February), pp. 91-108. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Research in the valley of San Quintín was a difficult undertaking. Given the state of fear, the climate of repression, and the precarious lives of the jornaleros (farmworkers) in the valley, my constant presence and questioning could have posed a risk to the jornaleros that I interviewed. As anthropologists we are always indebted – although we do not always acknowledge this debt – to those on the ground who facilitate our ethnographic research. I would like to thank a number of individuals in the valley of San Quintín who without their help this research would not have been possible. Given employer retaliation I cannot name many of the jornaleros who aided me and therefore far too many people will go nameless. However, I would like to mention the constant camaraderie, encouragement, and friendship of Gloria, Librado, and Lorenzo. To all those I who I don’t mention by name in order to protect your identity, please know that I appreciate your solidarity, support, and friendship. This research would not have been possible without the generous support and encouragement of my academic advisor Dr. Lynn Stephen. Special thanks is offered to members of my committee and related faculty in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of History at the University of Oregon, including Dr. Lamia Karim, Dr. Stephen Dueppen, and Dr. Robert Haskett. Economic support for this research was provided by the Oregon Sylff Graduate Fellowship for International Research, the Sandra Morgen Public Impact Fellowship, the University of Oregon Food Studies Graduate Research Grant, and the United Association for Labor Education Research Grant. My time spent as a visiting research fellow at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the viii University of California San Diego was the perfect place to finish writing the dissertation, present my findings, and dialogue with colleagues. Thank you to my fellow graduate students in anthropology and related disciplines that provided the camaraderie and intellectual stimulation that was vital to my time in Eugene. Samantha, Ricardo, Ricardo (tocayo), Diego, and Harrison were the good friends that I needed while I was in Oregon. I hope we will continue to be compañeros as we go our separate ways. As well, my experience in Oregon would not have been possible without the support and friendship of a large community of people. While I cannot name everyone I would like to offer my appreciation and thanks to Ramiro, Ruth, Toño, and Jesús. Special thanks goes to Feliciano, Arturo, and all the fandangueros who brought the light and joy of music during the dark, rainy days of Oregon. As well, a number of other persons deserve my thanks and appreciation: Oscar, Rosa Elia, Elisa, and Ivania. Special thanks goes to Ivette. To those who I missed or do not name, thank you one and all of you. I would also like to thank my family, especially my parents, for all their love and support. Graduate school, research, and travel have meant that I have often been far away and always busy. Thanks for your continued support even as I have been absent for so long. ix This dissertation is dedicated to all migrants and refugees everywhere. May you achieve the justice you deserve. x Table of Contents Chapter Page I. INDIGENOUS MIGRANT FARMWORKERS ALONG THE U.S./ MEXICAN BORDER ...........................................................................................1 San Quintín: A Globalized Agricultural Enclave ....................................3 Rural-Rural Migration To Global Agricultural Enclaves ........................6 How Vulnerable Populations In Agricultural Enclaves Are Created In Mexico .....................................................................................................13 Indigenous Peoples, Industrial Unionism, and Farm Labor Organizing in Mexico .................................................................................................18 The Context Of San Quintín ....................................................................23 Fieldwork And Methods ..........................................................................26 Organization of the Thesis .......................................................................36 II. LEARNING TO WALK TOGETHER: INDIGENOUS MIGRANT FARMWORKER ORGANIZING IN SAN QUINTÍN, BAJA CALIFORNIA .....................................................................................................41 The First Phase Of Farm Worker Organizing In The Valley Of San Quintin: Labor Demands In The Fields And Migrant Camps - 1970- 1995..........................................................................................................46