Papers by Tamar Diana Wilson
Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development, 2010
Tamar Diana WilsonDepartment of AnthropologyUniversity of Missouri, St. LouisThe Evolution of the... more Tamar Diana WilsonDepartment of AnthropologyUniversity of Missouri, St. LouisThe Evolution of the Concept of Informal Economies in Recent Social Science LiteratureEarly identification of, theorizing about, and investiga-tion of what came to be called the informal sector or informal economy was based on examples from developing countries. Those who populated this economy, alternatively known as the underground economy, the off-the-books economy, the extra-legal economy, the shadow economy, the parallel economy, or the unofficial economy, were considered marginal and excluded from the modern, capitalist, formal economy whether because of human capital deficits or because of the underdevelopment of the national economy. Lack of employment opportunities in the formal economy was, and in some cases still is, considered the primary reason for the existence of the informal economy, conceived as a refuge of last resort for gaining a livelihood or simply surviving. Initially the two economies were considered as disarticulated from one another.
Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development, 2011
Latin American Perspectives
A study of migration to the United States from “Colonia Popular,” Mexicali shows that transnation... more A study of migration to the United States from “Colonia Popular,” Mexicali shows that transnational migration from urban centers has a different dynamic from transnational migration from rural communities. Urban-based immigrants to the United States often use networks in their rural community of origin to facilitate their immigration. These networks are constantly expanding in keeping with the theory of cumulative causation and eventually come to include kin and friends who have migrated internally. Women play a more important role in the migration process in urban centers, especially daughters who marry men originally from other locations in Mexico and thus have non-overlapping networks with daughters’ families. Four principles are developed concerning immigration to the United States from a colonia in Mexicali.
Latin American Perspectives
Paper presented at the 2009 IUAES conference, Kunming, China
A paradigm shift from the articulation of modes of production approach to the livelihoods diversi... more A paradigm shift from the articulation of modes of production approach to the livelihoods diversification approach, occurring in the early 1990s, paved the way for neo-liberal and capitalist interventions among the peasant poor, whether they continue to live in rural regions of origin or have migrated to urban centers. Although partially successful in relieving the dire situation of some of the poor, programs such as Progresa/Oportunidades and Seguro Popular (Popular Health Insurance) in Mexico have many flaws. Endorsed by international financial institutions such as the World Bank, they incorporate a debatable hope that by skilling and insuring improved health among the dispossessed, a more adequate labor force is available for the promised expansion of the formal economy.
The search for order and meaning are found in the cultural prescriptions of non-complex societies... more The search for order and meaning are found in the cultural prescriptions of non-complex societies as well as in the standardizing, classifying and categorizing activities of the “high modernist” state. Anomaly, ambiguity and contradiction are common phenomenon, challenging any existing order, and both small societies and advanced industrialized countries attempt to annul them through ritualistic actions and pronouncements which often have material consequences. Undocumented workers are considered anomalous, polluting to the political-legal ordering of the state. They also occupy a contradictory position: valued as labor commodities, they are despised for their illegal entry and anomalous status within the receiving state. Their presence, and their deaths on crossing the border is often nomized by ritual pronouncements that can lead to changes in immigration laws. External events, however, can cause reversals in movement toward humanitarian immigration reform.
Research in Economic Anthropology, 2014
Abstract Purpose Although there have been many articles and books on street vendors, ambulant and... more Abstract Purpose Although there have been many articles and books on street vendors, ambulant and fixed, around the world, and many works written about them in Mexico, little has been done on the ubiquitous ambulant beach vendors in tourist centers. Design/methodology/approach This paper offers an analysis of the backgrounds, levels of contentment, and aspirations of 25 women beach vendors interviewed in Acapulco in 2010. Findings A third of the women beach vendors had fathers who were peasants, and others had grandparents who were. Thus the article shows light on the fate of some of the offspring of a dispossessed peasantry. Far more than half of the women vendors were very content with their self-employment vending wares on the beach, a few because they could set their own hours, and a few because they had no boss. Other’s contentment was linked to the fact that they could help support their children. Part of this help meant keeping them in school. This was true whether the women were married, widowed, or abandoned. Not all were content, however, and this underscores the importance of their income to their households. Most of the women, though not all, had aspirations for more education and better work, whether in the formal or the informal economy. Social implications The women can be seen as marginalized because of their current poverty, and many because of past poverty leading to a lack of educational opportunities when they were young. They value education for their children.
North American Dialogue, 2012
Review of Radical Political Economics, 2002
Men's involvement in the maquiladora labor force has increased more than 17 times between 1975 wh... more Men's involvement in the maquiladora labor force has increased more than 17 times between 1975 when men constituted 21.7 percent of the non-technician, non-management workers, and 1995 when men constituted 40.9 percent of the maquila workers. Is this occurring because the dearth of "maquila grade" female labor is fueling a more heterogeneous maquiladora labor force? Or is it that the proliferation of maquiladoras involves more plants with jobs traditionally typed as "masculine"? Or, is it possible that "docile, nimble-fingered" males have made their appearance on the labor market? This paper will attempt to answer these questions.
Review of Radical Political Economics, 2002
Review of Radical Political Economics, 2002
Review of Radical Political Economics, 2011
It is argued in this paper, following the insights of Rosa Luxemburg and others, that primitive a... more It is argued in this paper, following the insights of Rosa Luxemburg and others, that primitive accumulation is a constant and ongoing process integral to capital accumulation. Concentrating on workers who are raised and sustained in times of unemployment by subsistence agriculture or informal income-generating activities by self or family members, often women, it is seen how their labor is commodified. The recurrent migration of parts of this global reserve army of labor, whether internally or transnationally, provides a variety of subsidies to capitalist enterprise.JEL classification: J16, J61, D13
Latin American Perspectives, 2012
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Papers by Tamar Diana Wilson