“Fresh Fruit Broken Bodies” by Seth Holmes

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This essay will basically discuss on how there is several interlocking in the political ,social and economic forces that contribute to the suffering and poor health experience by the Triqui migrant farm workers putting into consideration on how the theoretical concept explore in the book such as symbolic violence, social determinants, fundamental causes upstream thinking among other help in making sense of the forces and their health outcomes. In addition suggestion of cultural and social changes will help to alleviate the suffering and poor health challenges (Singer and Clair 425).

Holmes book is timely a very innovative text for it blends praxis and theory.The anthropologist is trying to understand better the suffering and challenges that the Tiqui migrants face.The social-cultural, political and economic factor that shape these conditions in the society are identified(Singer and Clair426).

Through intensive blends of information ranging from the migrant's life history, case studies based on health, conversations with social actors on the farms and observation and conversations with the clinics he visited.

The book gives an augmentative finding which reflects the social analysis focusing Holmes position in studying the experience that migrants had during the violence continuum, the structural symbolizing process materializing the Triqui migrants painfully suffering while they were working in the agricultural farms and also as they were in cross-border movements.(p.90).Along the Triqui migrant trail fellowing his compadre Marcio from Mexico, Arizona and to California.In the Sonora Desert to gether with the nine Triqui companions were captured and then deported. He also explains how he was fined by the government and cited.The encounter with the united states customs and border protection showing the way he was experiencing the border difference together with his team simply because he had different color and situated body while they were crossing the border and even after crossing the border.

The Triqui migrants in the fields around the farm and to patients room in the clinic whilst they tend to remain in some hidden from public views.Migrants were living in house camps provided with the farm close to the multilevel house of upper class with a picturesque view of the valley or in squatter houses which were build with plastic,cardboard and broken down cars in the sub-par living condition. These were ethically unfit and could cause health problems (Singer and Clair 425).From the way the Anglo farmers secretaries clinicians and even U.S Latino workers view indigenous Trique who were not indigenous Mexican since they do not communicate in Spanish and very dirty.

A respectful as Anglo leadership assistant relayed to Holmes on the farms. Homes is explaining the way the framework in the U.S today could not exist if there is no violence symbolically and structurally directed at migrant workers.

To explain much on the sufferings we see the anthropologist experiencing the border through his body just like the migrants who were his chief informants , they really helped him to get to know the way they endured social problems. In multi-sited ethnography Holmes is pushed to the social position being educated and a white he has to enjoy much dignity as well as respect more than the migrants who worked on the farm. This was a form of certain social-cultural problem that most of the migrants experienced. As they worked on the farms they were discriminated from the other decent people who were educated.

In North America, the nexus of violence is formed when we consider the phenomenon the sufferings experienced by the immigrants, as the hard times in the clinics, media and there was subtle naturalization of inequalities on the firms and the health and symbolic violence having pernicious effect resulting from structural violence. Homes is suffering Knee and other pains such as back and neck some of the common problems with the informant, the only solution to this health challenge was through going to the gym to ease the pains. The admission was done through local private gym there was also an inequality when it comes to access of this since people were socially discriminated, the whites were given the first priority to access this health facility while the migrants suffer numbness to pain in some areas. Author women tend to face a challenge when they had labor pains. It was a healthcare challenge and could result in loss of lives. This reminded the readers of the way the migrants suffered because of their race and the social economic factors. The poor migrants have not respected in the society and also because of their race they were ignored and could not even be allowed to access healthcare amenities.

The ethnic labor hierarchy was experienced by the farm workers in the California and Washington.The author had relatives who were working in Michigan, during one summer in 2013 he visited them as they worked as pickers and supervisors in the farms belonging to anglo owned berry farms. The author also worked on raspberry and blueberry farms since ,his uncle a supervisor wanted to hire more so as to make some cash for his bus ticket so that he can go back to Texas. it shows how people were mistreated as we can see the author labored in farm for period of two weeks and could make only 60 -70 dollars in a day I respective on the weekends (Singer and Clair 430). The workers strained and could see the way sweet blood red strained to his khaki pants.The people picking the berries were under strict instructions as we can see some picked from sections that had already been picked.They could as well lie parallel to the ground pruning the outgrowth and overworked and could get little pay.Even the elderly women were also laboring in straining to prune.

There is ethnic segregation in the workplaces since on the farms the extend beyond relation were reinforced during the instances like the one experienced by the members in large communities , there was a certain behavior that had ethnic hierarchy between themselves and workers as the former self-pick the fresh fruits.

The migrants experienced symbolic and bodily suffering which are normalized reinforced and naturalized in different contexts as the migrants were living on hypermilitarized u.s Mexico border.The compadre narrates of illness showing he way Bernado stomach is aching and rooted in deep political and social ills.This torture and pains were experienced as the migrants were traveling across the border this displayed the way the professional was understanding the health of the migrants and treated in films since there is rigid ethnic and class difference since it is naturalized.Holmes is shifting the gears and proposing scholars and health professional embarking on embodied reflexive approach so that they could improve the conditions whereby they were living in unequal lives which were taken as it was given.

The book is showing that those in power in the farm international policy and the clinics made decisions that were against the solidarity and improvement efforts which were declared to improve the migrants situations this made the suffering to continue since they never last or were not considered meaning that the immigrants kept suffering economically social cultural and health problems (Mols 260).The pragmatic solidarity road on the farms is out of reach when it is confronted with the everyday violence's that migrants'laborers continually were enduring. The health care professionals would be happy if they relieve and prevented suffering as they remembered the structural forces that could produce suffering. The global challenges solutions could be found through textual and visual representation the there was a hegemonic neoliberal regime that promoted suffering and violence unto populations on both sides of the border (Holmes 44).

Generally, the social problems in the society greatly affected the migrants very much, some immigrants were jailed and put under certain hardships as they were illegally walking through the deserting the farms they were not given their freedom simply because they were economically poor and had low social status. The healthcare in the migrants was affected by the market forces racism and anti-immigrants that undermined the healthcare and health. The sick workers suffered health problems before they could get to the hospitals this resulted from social inequality which resulted to in healthcare and natural society. This was not the case in the whites since they could receive much attention from the healthcare professionals. Mexican migrants laborers suffered inequalities and violence related structural violence in the global trade which was compelling migration, these stereotypes and prejudice showed racism (Bloemraad,201).

Tiqui migrants are exposed to serious challenges that would result in risking their real-life situations. The migrants were perceived as nonmembers of the society and therefore nobody white supported them, actually, they are disrespected and dishonored some of those working in the agricultural farms were exposed to healthcare problems since they could develop illness and sickness resulting from the hard labor that they performed in the farm. While they were picking the berries in the farms, it was tricky since some were challenged by the work and could develop some unhealthy conditions and pains in their bodies.Actually, the Tiqui migrants were financially challenged and could not afford the high-quality healthcare services from the healthcare professionals(Acee 20).The reason being that even the healthcare professionals were very keen and had a negative attitude towards the migrants meaning that they could not be assured good health care.

Health delivery system was based on the racism, economic social status and social-cultural factors in the society. The rich in the society were given the first priority and the migrants were ignored and not given the proper medication. Since they spend most of their times working on the farms the migrants were prone to high diseases and illness and therefore could be given the first priority. The Economic background should not be an issue in retrieving the health of an individual in the society.(Acee,20). Right to good health is mandatory for everyone and no one should be discriminated when it comes to giving attention to the sick in the society.Social and cultural differences also brought a certain kind of discrimination bases when it comes to interaction with the migrants in the society. The natives believed that the migrants were not rich in the American indigenous knowledge and their advise would not contribute to any positive strategy in the society, the whites knew more of their traditions than natives and could not really give the migrants an opportunity to contribute their ideas such as improving the health care, social development and economic development in the society (Alexander et al 011).

The social-cultural interaction action in the society would have contributed to some people expressing their grievances and the challenges that they were experiencing might be the government officials could have come to learn the real situation that they were experiencing and provide the possible solution. For instance, the workers through social-cultural interaction could communicate and pass their messages to their leaders.The inadequate social cultural system could not allow the migrants to contribute their ideas and opinions as far as the labor and workforce Failure to integrate the political system in the society has denied the migrants the ability to have their problems and suffering solved and settled by the government, this leaves a room for the more and more suffering in the clinics and the whole population. It is very funny since they keep enduring the suffering in the farms and exposing the migrants into real healthcare dangers. Ignorance by the healthcare professionals has resulted in much suffering and exploitation of the migrants (Acee, Taylor,et al 123).

The economic challenge also has impacted the immigrants in a way that is very negative , they feel rejected and not belonging to the society , they are oppressed and even jailed and arrested because of their color and racism. Generally the book has expressed that the social-cultural , economic and political factors have contributed to the people suffering and problems.The government should set the proper strategies aimed ant improving the political system such that it considers and give attention to the migrants , might be through giving them freedom to leave like the native (Acee,20).

On the other hand, integrating the social-cultural system into the migrants will create a room and road to mitigate the challenges in the society since migrants will have an opportunity to share their cultural ideas to the society.

Works cited

Acee, Taylor W., et al. ""Handbook of psychology."" (2003).

Alexander, William L., and Magdalena Fernandez. ""Immigration policing and medical care for farmworkers: uncertainties and anxieties in the East Coast Migrant Stream."" North American Dialogue 17.1 (2017): 13-30.

Bloemraad, Irene. ""Becoming a citizen.""? Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada(2006).

Holmes, Seth. 2013. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. Oakland: University of California Press. 264 pp.

Mols, J. B., and P. J. A. Keiler. ""The genus Miliusa (Annonaceae) in the austro-Malesian area.""Blumea- Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants 48.3 (2003): 421-462.

Singer and Clair 2003.FRESH FRUIT BROKEN BODIES. Farmworkers in the United States. Oakland: University of California Press. 425 -430pp.

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"Fresh Fruit Broken Bodies" by Seth Holmes. (2018, Dec 26). Retrieved March 19, 2024 , from
https://studydriver.com/fresh-fruit-broken-bodies-by-seth-holmes/

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