Mexican Americans and the question of race / Julie A. Dowling.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dowling, Julie A., 1975-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexican Americans--Race identity.

Mexican Americans.

Mexican Americans--Social conditions.

United States--Race relations.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (173 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

With Mexican Americans constituting a large and growing segment of U.S. society, their assimilation trajectory has become a constant source of debate. Some believe Mexican Americans are following the path of European immigrants toward full assimilation into whiteness, while others argue that they remain racialized as nonwhite. Drawing on extensive interviews with Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants in Texas, Dowling’s research challenges common assumptions about what informs racial labeling for this population. Her interviews demonstrate that for Mexican Americans, racial ideology is key to how they assert their identities as either in or outside the bounds of whiteness. Emphasizing the link between racial ideology and racial identification, Dowling offers an insightful narrative that highlights the complex and highly contingent nature of racial identity.

Contents:

The question of race

"I'm white 'cause I'm an American, right?": the meanings of whiteness for Mexican Americans

"We were never white": Mexican Americans identifying outside the bounds of whiteness

"In Mexico I was . . .": translating racial identities across the border

"That's what we call ourselves here": Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants negotiating racial labeling in daily life

Re-envisioning our understanding of Latino racial identity.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-292-75402-7

OCLC:

867631076