New Books - April 2008

E184 .M5 R587 2007
Mongrels, bastards, orphans, and vagabonds : Mexican immigration and the future of race in America

Rodriguez, Gregory.

Booklist Review:

As the largest contingent of the fastest growing minority population in the U.S., Mexican immigrants promise to put an indelible stamp on American culture and notions of race and ethnicity. Mexican scholar Rodriguez examines historical and social factors that have caused the current level of Mexican migration to the U.S. and the greatest contribution of Mexicans, the concept of mestizaje, or racial and cultural synthesis. Mexico's history of conquest and intermixing with the indigenous people has produced a greater tolerance for mixing than has the U.S. history of slavery and stricter definitions of race. Moreover, the evolution of attitudes of Mexican immigrants themselves-from desire to be counted as white to advocacy for a broader classification or none at all-adds to the more nuanced view of ethnic identity. Rodriguez traces changes in Mexican immigration, fueled by politics and economics in the U.S. and Mexico, and the growing Chicano movement. Rodriguez explores what effect this mestizaje, earned after a long history, though not so tortured as that of the U.S., will have on American culture, racial identity, and minority politics. Bush, Vanessa.