ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. This book explores a recent project on North American mobility in which six women and gender studies programs participated: two from Canada; two from Mexico; and two from the United States, University of Cincinnati and University of Arizona. Since the 1990s, North America has become increasingly recognizable in policy imaginations and scholarly treatments as a geopolitical region and the site of a new continentalism. The 1994 establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) codified to some extent the already growing economic integration of Mexico, Canada, and the United States, an ongoing project which is part of a broader global restructuring process. The book draws from the expertise and experiences of institute attendees and program participants, and aims to provide a framework for theorizing regional political economy and transnationality in the womens and gender studies classroom.
