Introduction: (Re)presenting (Im)migration

• Main Author: Cooley, Jennifer
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: UNI ScholarWorks 2018
• Subjects: Postville
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/universitas/vol13/iss1/2; https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1212&context=universitas

This edition of UNIversitas is devoted to the study of Luis Argueta’s trilogy of documentary films about immigration, and, more broadly, the quest to faithfully represent the personal impact of immigration policies in the 21st century. Starting with abUSed: The Postville Raid (2010), followed by ABRAZOS (2014) and most recently The U Turn (2017), Argueta’s films invite us to reflect upon the ongoing injustices faced by Guatemalan migrants living in the Midwest and broader societal issues surrounding immigration as well. They do this by bringing individual stories to the forefront, by giving voice to those who are typically silenced, and thus by humanizing immigration debates that are often so politically charged and toxic that they resist thoughtful and meaningful dialogue.