Josiah Heyman
Fonction
Professor
Organisation
The University of Texas at El Paso
Center for Inter-American and Border Studies
Center for Inter-American and Border Studies
Border Region
United States, Latin America, Mexico, State of Texas, State of Chihuahua, State of New Mexico
Language(s)
Anglais
Main Category
Introduction
The Center for Inter-American and Border Studies (CIBS) focuses its research and training activities on the territory where it is based, the cross-border region around El Paso, Texas.
Summary
The Center for Inter American and Border Studies (CIBS) has established itself as a benchmark in the field of border studies by capitalising on the expertise on its own border territory. As well as often being high-profile, this territory presents some important challenges in terms of governance, demography and migration, as well as access to education and healthcare, employment and economic development. To meet these challenges the centre has developed an interdisciplinary approach specific to the territory studied, and a high level of expertise.
Content
The Center for Inter American and Border Studies (CIBS) was founded in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the State of Texas. This multidisciplinary research centre is attached to the University of Texas Liberal Arts College.
The centre focuses on four research themes connected to the US-Mexico border region: (1) demography, with monitoring of migrant population flows around the US-Mexico border and these populations' access to healthcare, (2) health issues on a general level, but also more specifically access to contraception, (3) governance, through the analysis of the national priorities and structures in this region, but also the dynamics at a more local level, and (4) the economy, with the aim of understanding the man factors influencing the main economic and trade trends.
The centre is grounded in academia, but it has a multidisciplinary vocation, conducting projects in collaboration with other research centres at the University of Texas at El Paso specialising in areas such as Business, education, engineering sciences, health sciences and nursing and the basic sciences. It also serves as an interface between the academic world and the public bodies competent in cross-border matters.
The centre produces numerous scientific publications, including the Border Studies Working Papers. It also publishes an online blog entitled "Borderzine".
Conclusions
The CIBS defends a doubly innovative approach: firstly, by developing localised research and teaching, then by bringing together traditionally compartmentalised scientific disciplines.
We can talk of "localised" research and teaching because it is the border territory around the University in El Paso, Texas that constitutes its main research object and field. The centre has turned this localisation to its advantage and has become an unavoidable local player. It has become a reference centre dealing with border issues in this region of the globe, but also one with worldwide standing. The centre hosts a large number of researchers and students wishing to take on the issues of the US-Mexico cross-border territory. It has also been involved in training a large proportion of the future academics who will contribute to cross-border affairs in the years to come. Finally, it is also involved many practical projects at local level, supported by local communities, non-governmental organisations and non-profit bodies.
The rapprochements that it fosters include: the coming together of different academic disciplines and faculties that are interested in studying the cross-border space, the overlapping and interdependency of different environmental, economic and social issues and, above all, the common fate of the populations of the two neighbouring states concerned by the migration issue.
Lead
Josiah Heyman
Contributions
Jeremy Slack
Contact Person(s)
Date of creation
2020