Border Optics: Surveillance Cultures on the US-Mexico Frontier

Border Optics examines how the US-Mexico border is seen through visual codes of surveillance, visualized as a layered visual space of policing and a space that is visualized across various forms and genres of media. It explores the expanded vision of the border as a consequence of the interface of militarism, technology, and media, and how the perception of the viewing public is controlled through a booming security-industrial complex.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 08 June 2021
Publisher: New York University Press

When Donald Trump vowed to "build a wall" on the U.S.-Mexico border, both supporters and opponents conjured up images of a massive concrete barrier stretching over nearly two thousand miles of arid desert. Despite the fact that only 4 percent of the US population lives near the border, imagining what the wall would look like was relatively easy for most Americans, partly due to the widespread reproduction and circulation of images depicting the border for national audiences.

Border Optics delves into the US-Mexico border as one of the most visually perceived and imagined spaces in the United States. As a site of ongoing crises, perpetual visibility, and territorial defense, the border is portrayed as a multi-layered visual realm of policing, one that is observed from watchtowers, camera-mounted vehicles, helicopters, surveillance balloons, radar systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and live streaming websites. Moreover, the border is visualized across various forms and genres of media, including maps, geographical surveys, military strategic plans, illustrations, photographs, postcards, novels, films, and television, which blend fascination with the region with the visual codes of surveillance and survey.

Border Optics further explores the expanded vision of the border as a result of the convergence of militarism, technology, and media. Camilla Fojas provides an insightful account of how the perception of the viewing public is meticulously controlled by a thriving security-industrial complex comprising entertainment media, local and federal police, prisons and detention centers, the aerospace industry, and various security technology industries. This complex exerts a powerful influence over how the border is perceived and understood by the general public.

Border Optics stands as the pioneering study to examine visual codes of surveillance within the context of an analysis of the history and culture of the border region. By undertaking a comprehensive examination of the visual representations of the border, the book offers a fresh perspective on the complex dynamics and complexities of this region. It sheds light on the ways in which visual media shapes our understanding of the border, and how these representations contribute to the construction of narratives and ideologies surrounding it.

In conclusion, Border Optics is a groundbreaking work that provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the US-Mexico border as a visualized and imagined space. Through its detailed analysis of visual codes of surveillance, the book offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of the border region and its complex relationship with militarism, technology, and media. By examining the ways in which visual representations shape our perceptions and interpretations of the border, Border Optics helps us to better comprehend the multifaceted dynamics and complexities of this vital geopolitical space.

Weight: 328g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479807017