1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910777439703321

Autore

Marquez Benjamin <1953->

Titolo

Constructing identities in Mexican-American political organizations [[electronic resource] ] : choosing issues, taking sides / / Benjamin Márquez

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Austin, : University of Texas Press, 2003

ISBN

0-292-79815-6

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (182 p.)

Disciplina

323.1/168073

Soggetti

Mexican Americans - Politics and government

Mexican Americans - Ethnic identity

Mexican Americans - Societies, etc

Ethnicity - Political aspects - United States

United States Ethnic relations Political aspects

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [131]-157) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Mexican-American Organizations and Identity Politics -- 2. Constructing Identities in Mexican-American Social Movement Organizations -- 3. Voces Unidas: The Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice -- 4. Standing for the Whole: The Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation Network -- 5. Aquí Se Habla Dinero: The Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce -- 6. One Dream, Many Voices: The Mexican American Women’s National Association -- 7. Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

The formation of a group identity has always been a major preoccupation of Mexican American political organizations, whether they seek to assimilate into the dominant Anglo society or to remain separate from it. Yet organizations that sought to represent a broad cross section of the Mexican American population, such as LULAC and the American G.I. Forum, have dwindled in membership and influence, while newer, more targeted political organizations are prospering—clearly suggesting that successful political organizing requires more than shared ethnicity and the experience of discrimination. This book



sheds new light on the process of political identity formation through a study of the identity politics practiced by four major Mexican American political organizations—the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, the Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation, the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, and the Mexican American Women's National Association (now known as MANA—A National Latina Organization). Through interviews with activists in each organization and research into their records, Benjamin Marquez clarifies the racial, class-based, and cultural factors that have caused these organizations to create widely differing political identities. He likewise demonstrates why their specific goals resonate only with particular segments of the Mexican American community.