Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945

By George J. Sanchez

Book Overview

Twentieth-century Los Angeles has been the locus of one of the most profound and complex interactions between variant cultures in American history. Yet this study is among the first to examine the relationship between ethnicity and identity among the largest immigrant group to that city. By focusing on Mexican immigrants to Los Angeles from 1900 to 1945, George J. S nchez explores the process by which temporary sojourners altered their orientation to that of permanent residents, thereby laying the foundation for a new Mexican-American culture. Analyzing not only formal programs aimed at these newcomers by the United States and Mexico, but also the world created by these immigrants through family networks, religious practice, musical entertainment, and work and consumption patterns, S nchez uncovers the creative ways Mexicans adapted their culture to life in the United States. When a formal repatriation campaign pushed thousands to return to Mexico, those remaining in Los Angeles launched new campaigns to gain civil rights as ethnic Americans through labor unions and New Deal politics. The immigrant generation, therefore, laid the groundwork for the emerging Mexican-American identity of their children.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195096487
• ISBN13: 9780195096484
• Release Date: March 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Amazing

This book is essential for a student of American immigration or ethnic history, ESPECIALLY those who are interested in California and the Western United States. It provides a solid foundation to understand Southern California and immigration from mexico in the first half of the 20th century. Being a native of Los Angeles, i was amazed at the detail and complexity of this history. Truly a wonderful book, only after you finish it can you appreciate its throughness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A Great Cultural Historical Analysis

This is an incredibly rich and well thought out book on an often neglected area of American History. Sanchez assumes a strong background in Historical and Cultural studies that I initially found difficult. Once I worked through it though it was well worth the effort. It was one of those rare books that I felt a better rounded historian after reading as well as more knowedgable about the subject. Keep a close eye one the way that he defines culture throughout the book in both Mexico and LA.