Author: Jerjes Izcoatl Ochoa
Publisher:
Published: 2012-03-20
Total Pages: 156
ISBN-13: 9781469905280
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For Mexicans, Mexican-Americans constitute a largely unknown entelechy, one that generates a mix of suspicion, expectations, fantasies, and even sentiments of betrayal that emerge, to a great extent, precisely from this lack of knowledge of the life and dynamics of Mexican-Americans in the U.S. Even less do Mexicans comprehend the processes of integration into U.S. society that Mexican-Americans undergo, or the struggles they must confront in order to maintain their important presence in America's complex polity.While this puzzle can be approached from several different angles, one especially important factor is that for decades the nationalist character of education in Mexico has impeded generations of Mexicans from perceiving the journey northwards by their paisanos in search of opportunities for a better life as a legitimate act. The long-held view of the U.S. as Mexico's historical enemy and tormentor that is still alive and well in the imaginary of many segments of Mexican society makes it difficult to achieve an objective understanding of the descendants of Mexican migrants living in that nation. Added to poor knowledge and prejudices among Mexicans is the apathetic attitude that many Mexican-Americans show with respect to events in Mexico. So absorbed are they in their own internal dynamics and, perhaps, even ashamed at times by the numerous negative references to Mexico that appear in the U.S. media, Mexican-Americans tend to focus on their lives in the United States, while conceiving of Mexico, if at all, as a simple identitary referent within their processes of assimilation. The deep roots of this mutual disinterest and apathy that contrast so starkly against the many elements that the two communities share should be a topic of great interest to social scientists in both countries. Encounters between Mexicans and the descendants of people of Mexican origin residing in the U.S. often occur in settings marked by conflicts that derive from competition for access to education and job opportunities. But similar confrontations, which can be explained in terms of economic sociology, seem to emerge also in the relation of Mexican-Americans with Mexico. Scholarly literature in Mexico contains little research on Mexican-Americans, and few theses or scientific articles have dealt directly, or even indirectly, with phenomena related to this sector of the population. Of course, academic research on migration and its effects and consequences in Mexico is abundant, but studies of communities of descendants of Mexican migrants in the U.S. are scarce. Moreover, only a handful of scholars in the U.S. have explored Mexico's place in the sentiments and perceptions of Mexican-Americans. This mutual lack of interest impedes the development of relations between the two groups, despite their potential for positive interaction in many spheres.It is in this context that Distant Cousins presents five chapters or, perhaps better, documented essays that examine several topics related to Mexican-Americans from a uniquely Mexican perspective. The book consists of a series of papers, articles and book chapters that the authors have brought together for the purpose of filling this void.It should be noted that Mexican-Americans will exert greater influence on the economic, political and social life of the U.S. and, in diverse ways, will continue to be a reference point for many other nations. An optimistic vision might hold that a positive perception of Mexico among Mexican-Americans would contribute greatly to improving the relationship between the two most heavily-populated countries in North America; entities that share both a common geographical space and many problems and obstacles, from environmental issues to the scourge of drug-trafficking. It is to be hoped that the affinities will outweigh the differences and contribute to building a more prosperous and secure North America. That is the ultimate objective of this book.
