U.S. policy regarding the United States-Mexico border and transborder migration has long been rooted in misconceptions about the history of these subjects. This proposed roundtable argues that sound U.S.-Mexico border policy depends on a better understanding of the past—and that historians have an ethical obligation to help set the record straight. We thus bring together five scholars at various stages in the academic career—a tenured faculty member, two tenure-track faculty members, a postdoctoral scholar, and a PhD candidate—to discuss our experiences applying historical research to public discussions concerning the border and migration.

All participants are members of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN), which aims to increase the visibility of academic research to lawmakers and other nonacademic readers. Most SSN members are social scientists. At the time of this proposal, less that 70 of the organization’s roughly 1,600 members are historians. Perhaps this is because the historical profession rarely trains its scholars to see the policy relevance of their research. But this roundtable argues that historians do have much to contribute to policy discussions. Indeed, we contend that U.S.-Mexico border policy should be grounded in a thorough understanding of the histories of migration, border policing, transborder relations at the state and municipal levels, and related subjects.

Participants will discuss why and how they have engaged in applied / public-facing history and will propose other ways of helping the public understand the border and migration in historical perspective. They may also discuss their activities in the Scholars Strategy Network and their experiences writing for Washington Post Made by History—perhaps the leading blog bridging historians with nonacademic readers. Dr. S. Deborah Kang will serve as both the roundtable’s chair and a participant.