Insecurity and violence

Ethnographic practice on the Mexico/EEUU border

Abstract

Ethnography, an important stage of research, is generally and simply where we connect with a specific group to understand its internal dynamics. Between 2018 and 2020, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the city of Tijuana, on Mexico’s northern border with the United States. The study focused on Haitian mobility, experiencing the daily lives of Haitians who, after leaving Brazil and crossing all Latin America toward the United States, ended up stuck in Tijuana due to bureaucratic obstacles and migration policies. Many things happened during the nine months of fieldwork. I worked intensively not only with Haitians but also with other migrant groups in different contexts. Ethnographic research drew me deeply into these realities, overturning my initial expectations and revealing the emotional impact of dealing with stories of survival and migratory injustices. Moreover, the research led me to reflect on the importance of considering the researcher’s body in the field (in my case, that of a Brazilian woman). Although many studies address the role of the researcher in ethnographic research, this text highlights an underexplored aspect in ethnography: insecurity, and the physical and sexual violence that permeate fieldwork, especially for women, and the need to transform these experiences into critical knowledge.