Migrants as Place-Makers: The Role of Technical Communicators in (re)Locating Place

Abstract

“Migrants as Place-Makers” investigates the role of technical communicators in determining where place could be made. Most discussions find place in locations that accommodate people through community functions, social interactions, and commercial exchanges; however, not much has been considered in how place is made through necessity. This paper applies place methodology to water stations for migrants left on the US-Mexico border by the organization Humane Borders. Humane Borders locates water barrels based on proximity to border, migrant water consumption, and rates of vandalism of water stations. Overall, migrants can make place at water stations, decreasing the likelihood of water station relocation and increasing the chance of migrant hydration. Two research questions organize this paper: How are technical communicators predicting the best location for a water station? How can technical communicators better predict the next location for a place and lessen the frequency of relocation if a water station does not become a place to migrants? Place and space methodology asks the field to consider migrants as interlocutors between place and technical communicator to better (re)locate water stations and lessen the frequency of relocation. These questions are answered through a case study of two water stations where I find that when migrants recognize a water station as a place, it deters vandalism. Thus, technical communicators should especially promote place-making at frequently vandalized water stations.