Transnational Tortillas

This book, Transnational Tortillas, highlights the stark differences in labor conditions between two factories of a Mexican tortilla company across the U.S.-Mexico border.

In Transnational Tortillas, Carolina Bank Muñoz explores the contrasting management strategies employed by a Mexican tortilla company, Tortimundo, across its two production facilities located just miles apart but on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The book delves into the complexities of globalization, revealing how the same company can treat its workforce differently based on location. While both factories produce identical products using the same technology, the working conditions and experiences of the employees are strikingly dissimilar, highlighting the vulnerabilities exploited by management in each context.

Through extensive ethnographic fieldwork, the author uncovers the distinct regimes governing labor at the California and Baja California plants. In the U.S. facility, an immigration regime prevails, where documented and undocumented workers are pitted against each other, leading to harsh penalties for those without legal status. Conversely, the Mexican factory is characterized by a gender regime, where female workers face sexual harassment and are forced into competition based on skin color, creating divisions that impact their job security.

Transnational Tortillas offers a critical examination of how managerial strategies are influenced by state policies and market conditions, intertwined with issues of race, gender, and class. By analyzing these dynamics, Bank Muñoz provides valuable insights into the ramifications of globalization on labor control, making this book essential for understanding the complexities of the contemporary workforce.