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by Richard Griswold del Castillo (Author)
The Mexican and Chicana/o residents of San Diego have a long, complicated, and rich history that has been largely ignored. This collection of essays shows how the Spanish-speaking people of this border city have created their own cultural spaces. Sensitive to issues of gender-and paying special attention to political, economic, and cultural figures and events-the contributors explore what is unique about San Diego's Mexican American history.
In chronologically ordered chapters, scholars discuss how Mexican and Chicana/o people have resisted and accommodated the increasingly Anglo-oriented culture of the region. The book's early chapters recount the historical origins of San Diego and its development through the mid-nineteenth century, describe the "American colonization" that followed, and include examples of Latino resistance that span the twentieth century-from early workers' strikes to the United Farm Workers movement of the 1960s. Later chapters trace the Chicana/o Movement in the community and in the arts; the struggle against the gentrification of the barrio; and the growth of community organizing (especially around immigrants' rights) from the perspective of a community organizer. To tell this sweeping story, the contributors use a variety of approaches. Testimonios retell individual lives, ethnographies relate the stories of communities, and historical narratives uncover what has previously been ignored or discounted. The result is a unique portrait of a marginalized population that has played an important but neglected role in the development of a major American border city.Author Biography
Richard Griswold del Castillo is Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies and chair of the department at San Diego State University. He is the co-author of Competing Visions: A History of California.
Number of Pages: 312
Dimensions: 0.9 x 9 x 6 IN
Publication Date: February 07, 2008
