Description
Book SynopsisA historical analysis of the conflicting ideas about race and national belonging held by Mexicans and Euro-Americans in southern New Mexico during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth.
Trade Review“
Border Dilemmas occupies a singular place in the literature on the West. It chronicles cultural relations and the generation of difference along the U.S.-Mexican border at the very moment when both American and Mexican national identities were being forged. Until now, no one has documented the nitty-gritty of this process and the ways that ethnic Mexicans on both sides of the border grappled with the production of local identities anchored in competitive national imaginaries.”—
Ramón A. Gutiérrez, co-editor of
Mexicans in California: Transformations and Challenges“In all, this study makes a sizable contribution to our understanding of the diversity and complexity of borderlands identities…. Mora’s work is a must for anyone interested in borderlands history and the interplay of race and nationalism in colonial frontiers.” -- Janne Lahti * Canadian Journal of History *
“Mora’s work ... provides a theoretical platform for understanding the issues of changing identity of Mexican Americans outside of New Mexico.” -- F. Arturo Rosales * Hispanic American Historical Review *
“Although it is thick with detail and information, the book is easy to read and informative. It presents important information, not only for those interested in the history of New Mexico, the Southwest, or even of the United States, but also for anyone interested in multiculturalism, the nature of the modern State and the social construction of race and identity. The book is ideal for the general reader, as well as for use in courses in social history, gender studies, race and ethnicity and international politics.” -- Ronald J. Angel * Ethnic and Racial Studies *
“Anthony Mora has written a thoughtful extended essay on the racialization of citizenship and the demarcation of distinct communities in the context of the U.S.-Mexico border region.” -- Cynthia Radding * American Historical Review *
“Besides cutting new trails toward the subject of southern New Mexico and religion along the border,
Border Dilemmas offers a sophisticated and clearly written use of cultural theory and a wealth of Spanish-language sources to bolster its central arguments about the retention of Mexican identity and affiliation. The book deserves wide readership among historians of the United States, the American West, and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.”
-- Pablo Mitchell * Journal of American History *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Introduction. Local Borders: Mexicans' Uncertain Role in the United States 1
1. Preoccupied America: Competing Ideas about Race and Nation in the United States and Mexico, 1821–1851 23
2. "Yankilandia" and "Prairie-Dog Villages": Making Sense of Race and Nation at the Local Level, 1850–1875 66
3. "
Enemigos de la
Iglesia Católica y por consiguiente de los ciudadanos Mexicanos": Race, Nation, and the Meaning of Sacred Place 103
4. "Las mujeres Americanas están en todo": Gender, Race, and Regeneration, 1848–1912 135
5. "It Must Never Be Forgotten This Is New and Not Old Mexico": Local Space in Euro-American Knowledge and Practice, 1880–1912 172
6. "New Mexico for New Mexicans!": Race and the Redefinition of Regional Identity for Mexicans, 1880–1912 223
Epilogue. "Neath the Star Spangled Banner": Multiculturalism and the Taxonomic State 274
Notes 291
Bibliography 345
Index 367
