1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910826532503321

Autore

Plascencia Luis F. B

Titolo

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

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Brunswick, NJ, : Rutgers University Press, c2012

ISBN

1-280-69169-7

9786613668639

0-8135-5334-2

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (265 p.)

Collana

Latinidad : transnational cultures in the United States

Disciplina

305.868/72073

Soggetti

Noncitizens - United States

Citizenship - United States

Mexican Americans - Civil rights

Mexican Americans - Ethnic identity

Mexican Americans - Social conditions

Mexicans - Migrations

United States Emigration and immigration Government policy

United States Ethnic relations

United States Politics and government

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 and index.

Nota di contenuto

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

Sommario/riassunto

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.