| dc.description.abstract | Nation-states across the world continuously construct thick barriers, wire fences, and inventive fortifications along their borders due to a variety of reasons. In response to this global trend, Reece Jones answers this question in his article “Why Do States Build Walls?” by offering three main reasons states build border walls: the establishment of national sovereignty, the protection of national wealth, and the protection of national culture. This thesis responds to the article by analyzing two distinct functions of modern border walls, the physical and the symbolic functions. I examine each of these functions within the context of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall using existing research by political theorists and political geographers. When discussing the establishment of national sovereignty through the construction of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall, I find that the wall does physically and symbolically divide the two states of Mexico and the United States, yet cannot successfully control migration across the border. The U.S.-Mexico Border Wall struggles to control smuggling through its physical function. However, it symbolically protects national wealth by creating a distinction between the global north (United States) and the global south (Mexico). The solely symbolic function of the border wall in protecting the national wealth is intentional as the U.S. economy actually depends on migrant works in order to be successful. Finally, the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall is able to protect the national culture where it divides sister cities physically, but symbolically it defines who is included and excluded in American culture. Overall, I find that while the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall expresses both functions, neither function is substantial enough to warrant the cost of construction and upkeep of the border wall. | en |
