A Sociocultural & Forensic Anthropologist's Perspective

Moral Borders: Faith and Humanitarian Work

In this episode, author and University of Arizona religious studies professor Dr. Alex Nava joins us for a conversation on asylum and humanitarian work along the Arizona border. Drawing from his fieldwork, Dr. Nava reflects on how humanitarian organizations and volunteer networks support asylum seekers amid shifting political climates. The episode explores themes of faith, responsibility, and community care, offering insight into the human impact of border policy and the meaning of solidarity in the borderlands.

Learning Across Borders: Migrant Shelters as Spaces of Resistance

In this episode we sit down with Chicana scholar and Ph.D. candidate Juanita Sandoval to explore how migrant shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border can serve as powerful spaces for learning, advocacy, and transformation.  Juanita shares insights from her Mellon-Fronteridades Fellowship research, reflecting on her time in Sonora, Mexico, where she examined the role of pedagogy and activism in supporting migrants.  Tune in to hear how education, storytelling, and community care come together in spaces often overlooked and how this research can impact both sides of the border.

A Sociocultural & Forensic Anthropologist's Perspective

In this episode, we return to the fall of 2023 and look back on the Forensic Research conducted by Dr. Robin Reineke during her collaborative project with Madres Buscadoras and the Colibri Center for Human Rights. Through different ways of viewing life, this project examines the ethnographic research, so make sure to stick around and listen to how her discoveries unfold.

El Tiradito: More Than a Shrine

In this episode, we return to the fall of 2023 and step into the immersive world of El Tiradito—a powerful play by playwright and professor Elaine Romero, set at a historic Tucson wishing shrine where myth, memory, border crossings, and activism intersect.  Through art, myth, and real community voices, we uncover how a single place can hold centuries of hope, grief, and the fight for dignity at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Flood (In)Justice in the U.S.-Mexico Border

In this episode we learn about his research and how flood justice has affected communities along the Texas-Mexico border and the Arizona-Mexico border. Comparing both borderlands on their powerful similarities and significant sparks of differences.   Hear about his findings on the overlooked concerns and challenges flooding causes in these borderland communities.