Disenchanting citizenship : Mexican migrants and the boundaries of belonging / Luis F. B. Plascencia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Plascencia, Luis F. B.

Series:

Latinidad : transnational cultures in the United States

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Noncitizens--United States.

Noncitizens.

Citizenship--United States.

Citizenship.

Mexican Americans--Civil rights.

Mexican Americans.

Mexican Americans--Ethnic identity.

Mexican Americans--Social conditions.

Mexicans--Migrations.

Mexicans.

United States--Emigration and immigration--Government policy.

United States.

United States--Ethnic relations.

United States--Politics and government.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Central to contemporary debates in the United States on migration and migrant policy is the idea of citizenship, and—as apparent in the continued debate over Arizona’s immigration law SB 1070—this issue remains a focal point of contention, with a key concern being whether there should be a path to citizenship for “undocumented” migrants. In Disenchanting Citizenship, Luis F. B. Plascencia examines two interrelated issues: U.S. citizenship and the Mexican migrants’ position in the United States. The book explores the meaning of U.S. citizenship through the experience of a unique group of Mexican migrants who were granted Temporary Status under the “legalization” provisions of the 1986 IRCA, attained Lawful Permanent Residency, and later became U.S. citizens. Plascencia integrates an extensive and multifaceted collection of interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, ethno-historical research, and public policy analysis in examining efforts that promote the acquisition of citizenship, the teaching of citizenship classes, and naturalization ceremonies. Ultimately, he unearths citizenship’s root as a Janus-faced construct that encompasses a simultaneous process of inclusion and exclusion. This notion of citizenship is mapped on to the migrant experience, arguing that the acquisition of citizenship can lead to disenchantment with the very status desired. In the end, Plascencia expands our understanding of the dynamics of U.S. citizenship as a form of membership and belonging.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Locating Citizenships

1. Fields of Citizenship

2. The Janus Face of Citizenship: The Side of Inclusion

3. The Janus Face of Citizenship: The Side of Exclusion

4. The Making of Citizens: Promoting and Schooling

5. Bearing True Faith and Allegiance: Entering the Circle of Citizenship

6. Desire, Sacrifice, and Disenchantment

Conclusion

Epilogue: The Boundaries of Birth and Power

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-280-69169-7

9786613668639

0-8135-5334-2

OCLC:

795120243