The American wall
Subtitle: from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico
By: [photographer and author, Maurice Sherif ; essayists, Charles Bowden ... et al.].
Contributors: Bowden, Charles, 1945-2014; University of Texas Press
Publisher: Maurice Sherif; University of Texas Press [distributer]
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Paris, France; Austin, Tex
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9780292726970
Subjects: Pictorial works; History; Border security; Artistic Photography
Other titles: Muro de los Estados Unidos : desde el Océano Pacífico hasta el Golfo de México; Mur Américain : de l'Océan Pacifique au Golfe du Mexique
Description: "Since mid-2006, Maurice Sherif has been photographing segments of the U.S.-Mexico border wall from the American side and questioning how the United States--which sees itself as a champion of law, democracy, and human rights--came to engage in such a project. In his words, "the wall is an egregious violation of human rights and a political act with global ramifications for the United States. It is not only a physical symbol, but also a legal example of a national trend toward exceptionalism and exclusion." The American Wall is a photographic record of the wall segments at midday. The photographs, taken in the searing heat of the desert, are stark. They reveal the tactile harshness of the metal structure and the emptiness of its surroundings. The wall repels human activity, and its construction has made barren the surrounding landscape, once rich in biodiversity. In perhaps the final irony of this photographic documentation, the heat of the borderlands melted the film, framing many of the images in random tatters. The lack of comprehensive planning for this wall has included a failure to consider the long-term environmental, social, and economic costs of altering the border with a physical barrier. According to Sherif and his fellow contributors, while some people to the north will entertain the illusion of separation from those feared as outsiders or enemies, the wall fails in its stated purpose of enhancing the safety and security of the people and place it is purported to protect. Those south of the border wall will continue to risk their lives in hopes of finding better opportunities on the other side."--Publisher's website.
Notes: Each language has its own section and title page.

Includes bibliographical references.

Text in English, Spanish and French.
Table of contents: title: [V. 1.] Text; title: [v. 2.] Plates.