Fernando Amador II

PhD candidate, Department of History
Guiliano Fellow, Spring 2021

Children of the Land: Identities, Landscapes & Migrations from Rural Mexico (Mexico City)

With the help of the Guiliano Fellowship, I went to Mexico City in the Summer-Fall of 2021  where I was able to focus on collecting data from the national archives of Mexico and record oral histories for my dissertation project. 

I was able to collect dozens of primary sources from the national archives in the capital. At the  archive, I was able to look through official state documents that pertain to three main areas.  The first area was how the state managed and sought to limit migration from Mexico to the US.  The secondary area explored how Mexico, specifically in the mid-20th century, began to focus  on urbanization and the industrialization of agriculture, all at the expense of rural Mexico. The  final area looked at the little attention that the state was paying attention to the rurality,  specifically how the government used the countryside as a resource to feed the growing cities. 

The other main project focused on collecting oral histories. I was able to interview only handful  of people because of the pandemic. However, I learned that a lot about the immigrants from  my case study that lived in Mexico City. As residents from the same town move to cities and  abroad, they establish colonies. However, these colonies can disappear, and the testimonies I  acquired help us understand how immigration networks are not permanent but fluctuate and  disappear throughout time.

The Guiliano Global Fellowship Program offers students the opportunity to carry out research, creative expression and cultural activities for personal development through traveling outside of their comfort zone.

GRADUATE STUDENT APPLICATION INFORMATION  

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT APPLICATION INFORMATION 

Application Deadlines: 

Fall deadline: October 1  (Projects will take place during the Winter Session or spring semester)

Spring deadline: March 1 (Projects will take place during the Summer Session or fall semester)

Please submit any questions here.