Culture across Borders: Mexican Immigration and Popular Culture [Paperback]

David R. Maciel (Author), María Herrera-Sobek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

For as long as Mexicans have emigrated to the United States they have responded creatively to the challenges of making a new home. But although historical, sociological, and other aspects of Mexican immigration have been widely studied, its cultural and artistic manifestations have been largely overlooked by scholars—even though Mexico has produced the greatest number of cultural works inspired by the immigration process. And recently Chicana/o artists have addressed immigration as a central theme in their cultural productions and motifs. Culture across Borders is the first and only book-length study to analyze a wide range of cultural manifestations of the immigration experience, including art, literature, cinema, corridos, and humor. It shows how Mexican immigrants have been depicted in popular culture both in Mexico and the United States—and how Mexican and Chicano/Chicana artists, intellectuals, and others have used artistic means to protest the unjust treatment of immigrants by U.S. authorities. Established and upcoming scholars from both sides of the border contribute their expertise in art history, literary criticism, history, cultural studies, and other fields, capturing the many facets of the immigrant experience in popular culture. Topics include the difference between Chicano/a and Mexican representation of immigration; how films dealing with immigrants are treated differently by Mexican, Chicano, and Hollywood producers; the rich literary and artistic production on immigration themes; and the significance of immigration in Chicano jokes. As a first step in addressing the cultural dimensions of Mexican immigration to the United States, this book captures how the immigration process has inspired powerful creative responses on both sides of the border.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The popular culture of the United States has often been said to be a melting pot wherein the various ethnicities and nationalities that came together to make the country have lost their distinct characteristics in order to create a new and harmonious culture. This scenario is, of course, not necessarily the case; those who cling closely to their identities often contribute the most to the culture because of their differences. Culture Across Borders traces the tension between assimilation and ethnic expression that is felt and lived by Mexicans who have come to the United States, or who have had the United States come to them. The various authors who express themselves in this collection look at both sides of the border, from Hollywood films about immigration to Mexican films about emigration, from American jokes about Mexicans to Mexican jokes about Americans, from the works of Mexican artists to the Mexican folksongs that have inspired American popular music, and into the multiple worlds of the Chicanos and Chicanas who have provided the richest source of immigrants in the often intolerant "land of liberty." The essays on film are especially engaging, and the "jokelore" of the Mexican immigrants is eye-opening, showing how the humor of the oppressed is both funny and functional. Culture Across Borders is an important look at the way Mexicans' and American's ideas about Mexicans influence and are influenced by popular culture.

From the Inside Flap

For as long as Mexicans have emigrated to the United States they have responded creatively to the challenges of making a new home. But although historical, sociological, and other aspects of Mexican immigration have been widely studied, its cultural and artistic manifestations have been largely overlooked by scholars—even though Mexico has produced the greatest number of cultural works inspired by the immigration process. And recently Chicana/o artists have addressed immigration as a central theme in their cultural productions and motifs. Culture across Borders is the first and only book-length study to analyze a wide range of cultural manifestations of the immigration experience, including art, literature, cinema, corridos, and humor. It shows how Mexican immigrants have been depicted in popular culture both in Mexico and the United States—and how Mexican and Chicano/Chicana artists, intellectuals, and others have used artistic means to protest the unjust treatment of immigrants by U.S. authorities. Established and upcoming scholars from both sides of the border contribute their expertise in art history, literary criticism, history, cultural studies, and other fields, capturing the many facets of the immigrant experience in popular culture. Topics include the difference between Chicano/a and Mexican representation of immigration; how films dealing with immigrants are treated differently by Mexican, Chicano, and Hollywood producers; the rich literary and artistic production on immigration themes; and the significance of immigration in Chicano jokes. As a first step in addressing the cultural dimensions of Mexican immigration to the United States, this book captures how the immigration process has inspired powerful creative responses on both sides of the border. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816518335
• ISBN-13: 978-0816518333
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #902,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)