Becoming_Mexican_American:_Ethnicity,_Culture,_and_Identity_in_Chicano_Los_Angeles,_1900-1945
Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945
Book about Mexican American history from 1900-45
Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945, written by George J. Sánchez and published in 1993 by Oxford University Press, explores the experiences of Mexican Americans in Los Angeles during the early 20th century. Sánchez provides a detailed look at Mexican Americans' lives, examining how they navigated living in a new country, including discrimination, poverty, and cultural displacement, and how they created a distinct Mexican American identity.[1][2]
One of the book's key themes is the concept of "transculturation," which refers to the process of adapting to a new culture while also maintaining elements of one's own culture. Sanchez argues that Mexican-Americans were able to create a unique identity influenced by Mexican and American cultures, which was shaped by the experience of immigration and discrimination.[3]
The book is divided into chapters, organized chronologically, each dealing with a different aspect of the Mexican-American experience.[3] Sánchez draws on a wide range of sources, including oral histories, government documents, and newspapers, to provide a detailed picture of the lives of Mexican Americans during this period.[4]