The devil in Silicon Valley : Northern California, race, and Mexican Americans / Stephen J. Pitti.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pitti, Stephen J., 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexican Americans.

Social conditions.

Politics and government.

History.

Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.)--History.

Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.).

Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.)--Race relations.

Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.)--Social conditions.

Mexican Americans--California--Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County)--History.

Mexican Americans--California--Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County)--Politics and government.

Mexican Americans--California--Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County)--Social conditions.

California--Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County).

Physical Description:

xiv, 297 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2003]

Summary:

This sweeping history explores the growing Latino presence in the United States over the past two hundred years. It also debunks common myths about Silicon Valley, one of the world's most influential but least-understood places. Far more than any label of the moment, the devil of racism has long been Silicon Valley's defining force, and Stephen Pitti argues that ethnic Mexicans -- rather than computer programmers -- should take center stage in any contemporary discussion of the "new West." Pitti weaves together the experiences of disparate residents -- early Spanish-Mexican settlers, Gold Rush miners, farmworkers transplanted from Texas, Chicano movement activists, and late-twentieth-century musicians -- to offer a broad reevaluation of the American West. Based on dozens of oral histories as well as unprecedented archival research, The Devil in Silicon Valley shows how San Jose, Santa Clara, and other northern California locales played a critical role in the ongoing development of Latino politics.

This is a transnational history. In addition to considering the past efforts of immigrant and U.S.-born miners, fruit cannery workers, and janitors at high-tech firms -- many of whom retained strong ties to Mexico -- Pitti describes the work of such well-known Valley residents as Cesar Chavez. He also chronicles the violent opposition ethnic Mexicans have faced in Santa Clara Valley. In the process, he reinterprets not only California history but the Latino political tradition and the story of American labor. This book follows California race relations from the Franciscan missions to the Gold Rush, from the New Almaden mine standoff to the Apple janitorial strike. As the first sustained account of Northern California's Mexican American history, it challenges conventional thinking and tells a fascinating story. Bringing the past to bear on the present, The Devil in Silicon Valley is counter-history at its best.

Contents:

Prologue: The Devil Defined 1

Chapter 1 Devil's Destiny 8

Chapter 2 The Golden State 30

Chapter 3 Transnational Industries 51

Chapter 4 Residence in Revolution 78

Chapter 5 Striking Identities 103

Chapter 6 Braceros and Business Machines 128

Chapter 7 Political Power 148

Chapter 8 Silicon Valley 173

Epilogue: Devil's Future 198.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [257]-283) and index.

ISBN:

0691092877

OCLC:

50203982