Abstract
To investigate how cultural capital functions in transnational health fields, the experiences of 13 low-income parents of Mexican-decent living in El Paso, Texas and 11 low-income Mexican parents living in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico are considered as they negotiate the US-Mexican border for health care for their children with asthma. Parents on both sides crossed to receive affordable care, ‘better’ services, and/or the ‘correct’ diagnosis. When parents did not cross, it was because of a lack of documentation, incomplete knowledge and other constraints. To understand these crossing behaviors, the concept of transnational cultural capital, that is the transnational power to achieve desired ends in a health-care field that spans borders, is introduced, building off Pierre Bourdieu. Transnational cultural capital is relevant in other transnational settings, such as large urban areas whereby immigrants, have the option to access treatments from their home country, the United States, and other naturopathic remedies.
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Acknowledgements
Former UTEP student Nydia Mendoza-Reveles' assistance with the collection of the data and translation of the interviews was invaluable. I also acknowledge UTEP students Liliana Barraza, Oscar Morales and Mauricio Austin for their assistance with several of the interviews. In addition to assisting with interviews, Oscar Morales was an important source of insights on Mexican life. Dr Tim Collins, Dr M. Cristina Morales and Dr Ernesto Castañeda, all at UTEP, offered helpful suggestions during the writing phase. I also thank Dra. Eva Lizeth Galvan from the Sistema de Salud Estatal, Calidad y Servicios de Salud del Primer Nivel and Eva Moya at UTEP for providing the health insurance data for Juárez. I acknowledge the University Research Institute at UTEP for supporting this project in 2007–2008. Finally, I acknowledge the participating parents who kindly shared their stories with me.
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Grineski, S. Why parents cross for children's health care: Transnational cultural capital in the United States–Mexico border region. Soc Theory Health 9, 256–274 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2011.7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2011.7