UC San Diego

This dissertation investigates the sources of political power among Mexican forced returnees during two significant periods of expulsions from the United States: The Great Depression and the Great Recession. Through the qualitative analysis of secondary sources, archival documents, government statistics, interviews with forced returnees, and field observation notes, this mixed-methods research provides a comparative historical analysis of how returnees mobilize embodied remittances (non-financial resources accumulated abroad) to legitimize their socio-political incorporation.Key findings from this investigation reveal three critical sociological insights into forced returnees' political mobilization. First, the type of embodied assets remitted shapes returnees' approaches to citizenship. Individuals with less transferable skills employ affective narratives of belonging to establish civic entitlement, while those with marketable skills use instrumental discourses to present themselves as contributors to the origin country’s workforce and society. Second, the implementation of political remittances—another form of embodied capital—is influenced by a foreign-established sense of political efficacy. Returnees with positive interactions with American institutions are more likely to participate in collective political mobilization than those with negative experiences, particularly with the American justice system. Third, the transferability of embodied remittances significantly impacts the extent and type of political involvement. Returnees with transferable skills confidently leverage their potential to contribute to economic and cultural development, exhibiting bolder political behaviors. Conversely, those with less transferable skills adopt cautious political strategies, focusing on achievable gradual changes. This work contributes to understanding the transnational dimensions of political mobilization, emphasizing the interplay between migration experiences and the pursuit of socio-political incorporation in the homeland. The study illustrates how forced returnees use their embodied remittances as organizational and symbolic resources to gain political leverage and advocate for their rights, mapping diverse pathways of social and political integration.