History of the Borderlands

ABS is the leading international scholarly association dedicated to the systematic interchange of ideas and information relating to international border areas. Founded in 1976 with the original emphasis on the study of the United States-Mexico borderlands region, the Association now encompasses an interdisciplinary membership of scholars at more than one hundred academic, governmental institutions, and NGOs representing the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The Border Studies Archive at the University of Texas-Panamerican houses collections focused on the folklore, histories and lives of people living along the U.S.-Mexican border in South Texas. Our collections include aural, material and visual documentation related to (1) Border Music, (2) construction of the Border Wall and Border Security more generally, (3) Latinas and Politics, (4) Spanish Land Grants, (5) Traditional Mexican American Folklore and (6) Visual Border Studies. In addition to these six areas, we have a substantial collection of Border Oral History Interviews. Feel welcome to visit us on the third floor of the library at University of Texas-Pan American in Brownsville.

An inter-disciplinary archive from the University of Arizona Special Collections. It includes oral histories of journalists from both sides of the border who cover northern Mexico, and human rights activists who are working to improve freedom of expression in Mexico. The second part of the archive features the inner-workings of U.S. immigration policies through the documentation of “Operation Streamline.”

The Institute for Arts & Media Border Studies Collection at California State University-Northridge examines the issues surrounding the border between the United States and Mexico. Through photographic collections, oral histories, manuscripts, videos, newspaper archives and guest lectures issues such as immigration, human rights, globalization, and economic violence are examined.

Journal of Borderlands Studies is the primary publication of the Association for Borderlands Studies, which has distinguished itself as a leading forum for borderlands research. Widely consulted by educators, practitioners and researchers, the journal encourages the submission of papers from all social science, humanities and business disciplines focusing on borderlands issues.

Mexico: Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints provides a sample of the photographs, images, albums, books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and more, relating to Mexico held by SMU's DeGolyer Library. Many of the collections pertain to the border region, the Mexican revolution and other periods in Mexican history.