Document Type
Research Report
Publication Date
12-13-2024
Abstract
This paper re-examines California’s Bracero Program (1942–1964) through the critical lens of transportation, arguing that it served not merely as a logistical necessity but as a crucial site of systemic exploitation and racialized harm. While scholarships often focused on other aspects of labor abuse, this piece centers on transportation-related injuries, culminating in the tragic 1963 Chualar accident, as a potent manifestation of racial capitalism and state neglect. Oftentimes, privatized transportation infrastructure contributed to both the physical vulnerability and symbolic dehumanization of Mexican laborers, as a direct result of agribusiness’s pursuit of profit. By reframing mobility as a key mechanism of control and marginalization, this analysis challenges the historiographical silence surrounding transportation and deepens our understanding of labor exploitation within the Bracero Program.
Recommended Citation
Cao, Samuel S., "California's Bracero Program: Racializing and Legalizing Mexican Transportation" (2024). Center for the Arts and Humanities: Student Fellows Program. 2.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cah_sfp/2