The Contested Homeland: A Chicano History of New Mexico - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826321992 ISBN 13: 9780826321992

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 2000

Synopsis

Many books deal with New Mexico's past, but the twelve original essays here reinterpret that history for the first time from a Chicano perspective. Self-determination, resistance, and cultural maintenance are the recurring themes in the lives and struggles of Nuevomexicanos from 1848 to the present. The conflict has been not solely with the customs and institutions Anglos introduced--though certainly that has occurred. On a more fundamental level, the clash has been over modernization--how the Spanish language, folk traditions, and land grants can survive as a heritage for future generations amid English, new and secular values, and real estate booms and speculation.

Nuevomexicanos have confronted colonialism, ethnocentrism, and racism throughout their history. But as these essays make clear, pride in Spanish descent runs deep in New Mexico and has led to a vibrancy unmatched in any other region in the United States. Nuevomexicanos have not simply survived or endured. They have secured their influence through the highest level of education among all Chicanos in the United States, through greater political representation at the local and national level--and in both major parties--than in any other state, and through a culture that has simultaneously resisted and adapted to change.

"This collection is a first in taking a Chicano perspective. . . . An outstanding, important work. "--John R. Chávez, Southern Methodist University

About this title

From the Back Cover

Studies territorial and rural New Mexico in the nineteenth century, the struggle for statehood, Nuevomexicano politics, immigration, urban issues in the twentieth century, the role of Spanish in education, ethnic identity, and the Chicano movement.

About the Author

Erlinda Gonzales-Berry spent many years teaching and writing in New Mexico. She is currently chair of the Ethnic Studies and Chicano/a Studies at Oregon State University.

David R. Maciel spent many years teaching and writing in New Mexico. He was formerly chair of Ethnic Studies and Chicano/a Studies at California State University at Dominguez Hills.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0826321992
• ISBN 13: 9780826321992
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 326
• Editor: Gonzales-Berry Erlinda, Maciel David R.