Our work localizes the global, moving from a critical distance to a critical proximity―from the abstraction of globalization “out there” somewhere to the here-and-now of the local physical territory and its immediate social-political context. Our research practice is embedded in the San Diego–Tijuana border region, a specific unit of analysis for engaging global crises, with the understanding that geo-political conflicts always hit the ground somewhere, shaping the contested power relations inscribed in the everyday lives of people.