This sweeping; vibrant narrative chronicles the history of the Mexican community in Los Angeles. Douglas Monroy unravels the dramatic; complex story of Mexican immigration to Los Angeles during the early decades of the twentieth century and shows how Mexican immigrants re-created their lives and their communities. Against the backdrop of this newly created cityscape; Rebirth explores pivotal aspects of Mexican Los Angeles during this time—its history; political economy; popular culture—and depicts the creation of a time and place unique in Californian and American history.Mexican boxers; movie stars; politicians; workers; parents; and children; American popular culture and schools; and historical fervor on both sides of the border all come alive in this literary; jargon-free chronicle. In addition to the colorful unfolding of the social and cultural life of Mexican Los Angeles; Monroy tells a story of first-generation immigrants that provides important points of comparison for understanding other immigrant groups in the United States.Monroy shows how the transmigration of space; culture; and reality from Mexico to Los Angeles became neither wholly American nor Mexican; but México de afuera; "Mexico outside;" a place where new concerns and new lives emerged from what was both old and familiar. This extremely accessible work uncovers the human stories of a dynamic immigrant population and shows the emergence of a truly transnational history and culture. Rebirth provides an integral piece of Chicano history; as well as an important element of California urban history; with the rich; synthetic portrait it gives of Mexican Los Angeles.
#4159807 in Books 1994-12-05 1994-12-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.05 x .94 x 6.06l; 1.27 #File Name: 0520084721376 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Anthropology of the Islamic SermonBy Tron HontoGaffney has great idea in his book. Write perhaps the only work on one of the most salient Islamic practices throughout history in a contemporary; quickly changing Muslim Society. Gaffney builds a basic typology of three types of preachers: the traditional scholar and ethical teacher; the sufi priest-magician; and the militant holy warrior. He analyzes sermons from all three and the religious aura and authority they carry with them in society. Gaffney demonstrates the authority that the preacher embodies in the larger society are closely connected with mundane institutions and organization of the society. He argues this both in the context of Cairo and Minya [which much more rural than Cairo]. Many of the sermons discussed were given during the rise of Islamic fundamentalism; and through them Gaffney traces the development of this militant movement and compares it with official Islam. Overall; this analysis cover ~2 decades of field experience; in the 70s and 80s. Finally; Gaffney presents and analyzes three actual sermons in their entirety; transcribed from recordings made in the mosques. Some of his insights are profound but I found myself annoyed by common debunking of the preachers' sermons. The author is a catholic minister [though also a professor at Notre Dame]; and there are moments where there was a bit of unnecessary digression into Christian apology. This was frustrating insofar as I was more interested in an analysis of the symbolic appeal containned in the preachers' sermon rather than a correction of the factual errors contained therein. Nonetheless; it was an interesting approach and the first of its kind. I believe it would be fortuitous to do more studies of its kind.
