Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, & Pelados

by Richardson, Chad

• ISBN13: 9780292770904
• ISBN10: 0292770901
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

"This book demonstrates the richness of the interethnic mosaic characterizing the Valley of South Texas.... By giving voice to local residents, Professor Richardson has amassed a valuable stock of knowledge concerning life along the Texas-Mexican border that is sorely missing in the extant literature." --Rogelio Saenz, Professor and Head of Sociology, Texas A&M University "The Valley of South Texas," a recent joke goes, "is a great place to live. It's so close to the United States." Culturally, this borderland region is both Mexican and Anglo-American, and its people span the full spectrum, from a minority who wish to remain insulated within strictly Anglo or Mexican communities and traditions to a majority who daily negotiate both worlds. This fascinating book offers the fullest portrait currently available of the people of the South Texas borderlands. An outgrowth of the Borderlife Research Project conducted at the University of Texas-Pan American, it uses the voices of several hundred Valley residents, backed by the findings of sociological surveys, to describe the lives of migrant farm workers, colonia residents, undocumented domestic servants, maquila workers, and Mexican street children. Likewise, it explores race and ethnic relations among Mexican Americans, permanent Anglo residents, "Winter Texans," Blacks, and Mexican immigrants. From this firsthand material, the book vividly reveals how social class, race, and ethnicity have interacted to form a unique border culture.

Author Biography

Chad Richardson is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Borderlife Research Project at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. viii
List of Tables	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Borderlife Interview Projects	p. xxi
Introduction	p. 1
"Mama, Nosotros Somos Migrantes": South Texas Farmworkers, 1950-1990	p. 17
"A Nice House": The Colonias of South Texas	p. 43
"Only a Maid": Undocumented Domestic Workers in South Texas	p. 69
Social Class on the South Texas-Mexico Border	p. 95
The Pain of Gain: Fifty Years of Anglo-Hispanic Relations in South Texas Schools	p. 123
From Mexicanos to Mexican Americans	p. 153
"Ahi Viene el Bolillo!": Anglo Newcomers to South Texas	p. 183
Black, Brown, and White: Race and Ethnicity in South Texas	p. 211
Student Interviewers	p. 247
Borderlife Interview Surveys	p. 251
Notes	p. 259
Bibliography	p. 275
Index	p. 285
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