Pain and Perseverance: An Archaeological Study of the First-Aid and Ethnopharmacology of Undocumented Migration

Author(s): Cameron Gokee

Year: 2015

Summary

Undocumented migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert must survive the dangers of extreme heat and rugged terrain, while simultaneously avoiding apprehension and physical abuse by the US Border Patrol. A successful migration attempt therefore depends, in part, on the ability to endure or alleviate pain experienced en route. In order to better understand how health concerns play into the strategies and experiences of migrants, this paper presents an analysis of pharmaceutical and aid-related artifacts recovered by the Undocumented Migration Project from migrant sites in southern Arizona. These materials show that pharmaceutical consumption is part of a migrant-specific habitus for coping with dangers and pain arising from both travel across the desert and preexisting conditions related to age, gender, fitness, class, or life history. When considered alongside ethnographic accounts, the use of pharmaceuticals in moments of pain may help to advance a phenomenology of border crossing in ways that informants themselves cannot.

Cite this Record

Pain and Perseverance: An Archaeological Study of the First-Aid and Ethnopharmacology of Undocumented Migration. Cameron Gokee. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Seattle, Washington. 2015 ( tDAR id: 433796)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 128