Bound Together Across an Arbitrary Dividing Line

Regionalia Explores an Alternative Form of Citizenship on the U.S.-Mexico Border

The word region comes from the Latin regere, meaning “to rule.” It is etymologically related to the Latin regio or “district.” In turn, “district” comes from the Latin distringere meaning to “draw apart.”

In this sense, to speak of region is to speak of drawing “apart-ness”—of carving out distinct segments of territory, so as to establish, facilitate, and sustain rulership or dominion through(out) them.

The U.S.-Mexico border is one such dividing line. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the U.S.-Mexico war (1846-1848) and annexed over half of the territory held by …

Should We Embrace Our Divisions to Build a Better America? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Should We Embrace Our Divisions to Build a Better America?

Rather Than Chase National Unity, Our Best Hope for Protecting Our Rights and Building a Better Future Lies at the State Level

Do you trust your state more than the U.S. government? Do you dream of California independence? Does breaking the U.S. into regional republics intrigue you?

Then you might be a …

COVID-19 Is Magnifying the ‘Politics of Division’ | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

COVID-19 Is Magnifying the ‘Politics of Division’

Zócalo’s 2019 Book Prize Winner Warns That Democracies Must Embrace the Politics of Hope and Unity 

The COVID-19 pandemic has come at a critical historical moment. For the last two decades or so—since the collapse of the Soviet Union and communist rule in Eastern Europe—we have …