Following the story of the displacement of a Maytag refrigerator plant from Galesburg, Illinois, to Reynosa, Mexico, “Boom, Bust, Exodus” puts a human face on globalization by exploring the social side of the fast-moving changes sweeping across the U.S. and Mexico. Workers at the Galesburg plant earned $14.42 an hour, had good insurance, and were assured a solid retirement. In 2004, when the plant was relocated to Reynosa, Mexico, workers spent 13-hour days assembling refrigerators for $1.10 an hour. Based on years of sociological fieldwork, “Boom, Bust, Exodus” delves into political topics such as immigration, farm, and trade policy that are typically distorted and abstracted from the actual lives of human beings. Rather than treating these critical policy topics independent of one another, Broughton examines the moving, interlinked parts of the policy apparatus that shapes the U.S-Mexico relationship. Join us at 5:30 for a reception with light appetizers.

Free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the International House Global Voices Author Night Series, the Center for International Studies, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Department of Public Policy Studies, and the Seminary Co-op Bookstore.