Description
Book SynopsisThe authors offer a comprehensive and contemporary look at the increasingly important role that Mexican immigrants play in the North American economy.
Trade ReviewRonald Mize and Alicia Swords have penned a tour de force of Mexican labour, capitalism and consumers, marshalling an impressive array of evidence drawn from a variety of bibliographic and archival resources and spiced with data from interviews and personal experiences. [...] This is a wonderful contribution to the literature, an excellent combination of historical and sociological analysis that includes a perceptive and challenging political assessment of immigrant exploitation, struggles and resistances, and how and why Mexican immigrants can play key roles in bringing about more just societies in North America. I recommend it highly. -- Leigh Binford, Journal of Latin American Studies The real strength of this work, constituting over half of the book, is the attention given to the growing dispersal of Mexican laborers in the last few decades from the American West to the Midwest "heartland" (Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas, and so on), the hinterlands of the Northeast (especially non-metropolitan New York), the Northwest, and, most importantly, the South, where the greatest demographic changes have taken place. -- Pacific Historical Review Consuming Mexican Labor is a well-researched, clearly written, insightful analysis of the relations between labour migration from Mexico and mass consumption in the US and, to a lesser extent, Canada. -- Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies Mize and Swords survey the range of solutions that academic experts and social activists have proposed over the decades, and use this historical framework to present their explanation of contemporary problems. The authors structure their book to give a thoughtful presentation for scholars and other specialists and also for readers who are seeking an introductory text. -- John A. Britton, The History Teacher Consuming Mexican Labor is a vigorous and refreshing attempt to bring labor migration back in to the study of contemporary social change. -- Contemporary Sociology
Table of ContentsList of Tables List of Acronyms Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Establishing Connections 1. The Bracero Program, 1942-1964 2. Operation Wetback, 1954 Part II: Mounting Resistance 3. Farmworker Civil Rights Movement / El Movimiento Campesino 4. Organized Labor and Mexican Labor Organization 5. Backlash and Retrenchment (1980s-1990s) Part III: Regions 6. Mexican Labor in Aztl n 7. Mexican Labor in the Heartland 8. Mexican Labor in the Hinterlands 9. Mexican Labor en la Frontera 10. Mexican Labor in Mexico: The Impact of NAFTA from Chiapas to Turismo 11. Mexican Labor in Canada: From Temporary Workers to Precarious Labor Conclusion Glossary References Index
