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The Swap-meet: A Space for Identity, Community, and Partnership Zaira A. Rojas Navarro Politics, Philosophy, & Economics Dr. Cynthia Howson University of Washington - Tacoma Context The U.S exists as a Nationalist Hostile Environment


  1. The Swap-meet: A Space for Identity, Community, and Partnership Zaira A. Rojas Navarro Politics, Philosophy, & Economics Dr. Cynthia Howson University of Washington - Tacoma

  2. Context • The U.S exists as a Nationalist Hostile Environment • Criminalization of Immigration • Criminalization of Migrant Identity • Localizing the Issue • Detention Center in Tacoma • Closure of the Swap-meet • Autonomous Zones • Identity • Community

  3. How do migrant communities cope in a hostile nationalist environment? • Creativity and Entrepreneurship • What avenues were accessible/inaccessible for the vendors? • What sort of barriers did/do the vendors experience? • How did the vendors overcome the barriers they faced? • Building Solidarity and Security • How is a sense of security created by the vendors and leadership? • What role if any does each segment of the play? • Purpose and Meaning • What role does the family play in the choices made by migrant communities? • Is the swap-meet just about making money?

  4. Methodologies • 11 Months Participating and Observing • Insider Participatory Observation • shared experiences; • greater access; • cultural interpretation; • deeper understanding and clarity of thought • Formal & Informal Interviews

  5. Results • Culture Matters; Identity & Ownership • Mutual understanding between the Tribe and swap-meet managers • El Americano vs Spanish speaking management • Community & Relations • Relationships beyond the economics • The Life We Want • Gendered roles • Family matters

  6. Solutions • Scholars and local governments need to adjust the way they conceptualize the way businesses function: • diversity of business cultures • social function of “The work we do here collaborative business spaces is honest. Latinos (eg swap-meets) work hard and • diversity of business cultures provide for their (exemplified by indigenous families…we are good and latinx experiences) people who just want the space to do these things.”

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