1) Bibliographic data
Vila, Pablo (1999) “Constructing Social Identities in Transnational Contexts: The Case of the Mexico-US Border.” International Social Science Journal v. 51 no1 Mar :75-87.

2) Question(s) addressed by the author and working arguments
Follow the intricate process of constructing a social identity at a very specific point on the US-Mexico border, Juárez-El Paso Constructing a social identity in this point of the US-Mexico border is a complex process in which the cultures involved are neither unitary nor homogenous, and the identities being constructed are multifaceted and contradictory. The article focuses particularly on the identity construction process by Mexicans on both sides of the border. Identities are formed partially through a complex intertwining over time of categories and identity narratives about ourselves and others.

3) Conceptual references to transnational – transnationalism
The presence or absence of a “border identity” points to a type of discourse that is central to the process of identity construction in a transnational context.

4) Conclusions or Final Remarks
There’s a vast range of identification in transnational spheres such as the border between Mexico and the United States. Their complexity lies in the fact that the border offers so many mirrors in which to reflect oneself and others. In certain circumstances, people construct their identity primarily on the basis of social categories, and at other times through recourse to tropes, in many cases by telling stories about themselves and others. In the majority of cases, the social actors use all these linguistic resources at the same time. Many elements of Mexican culture have crossed to the American side of the border, creating “hybrid products”, while American culture is also crossing to the Mexican side of the border. But that border has also been dramatically reinforced recently in order to keep “the other reality” to the south of the national demarcation line. It is thus possible to meet many Mexican immigrants living in El Paso who are opposed to any further (legal or illegal) immigration of Mexicans to the US; denying their compatriots what they themselves were able to do in the past.