Mexican York: Transnational Lives of New Immigrants

388 Pages·2005·2.19 MB·English

praise for robert courtney smith’s MEXICAN NEW YORK
“Studying local processes over an extended period of time has allowed
Smith to make a major theoretical and methodological contribution to our
understanding of the migration experience. Smith brilliantly succeeds in
detecting as yet unrecognized dynamics in the increasingly complex and
multisited character of migration.”
saskia sassen, author of Guests and Aliens
“Not only is Smith’s research unprecedented in its fieldwork, his analyses
are consistently subtle, surprising, and omni-relevant to major sociologi-
cal issues. An instant classic, Mexican New York deeply carves a new
benchmark for immigration studies.”
jack katz, professor of sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
“This groundbreaking study provides a compelling multidimensional por-
trait of Mexicans in New York. Smith authoritatively examines, in con-
siderable detail and with convincing ethnographic evidence, how immi-
gration patterns have drastically changed over the last fifteen years,
creating a group of ‘transnational migrants.’ This case study of Mexican
New Yorkers proves that people can live and function in two worlds at the
same time, oftentimes creating a third physical and social space.”
francisco lomelí, coeditor of
U.S. Latino Literatures and Cultures: Transnational Perspectives
Mexican New York
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution
to this book provided by the General Endowment Fund of the
University of California Press Foundation.
Mexican New York
Transnational Lives of New Immigrants
robert courtney smith
University of California Press
berkeley los angeles london
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United
States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sci-
ences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by
philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit
www.ucpress.edu.
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are by the author.
Portions of chapter 8 were originally published as Robert C. Smith, “Social Location, Gener-
ation and Life Course as Social Processes Shaping Second Generation Transnational Life,” in
The Changing Face of Home, ed. Peggy Levitt and Mary C. Waters, 145–68 (New York: Rus-
sell Sage Foundation, 2002).
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2006 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Robert C., 1964–.
Mexican New York : transnational lives of new immigrants / Robert
Courtney Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 0-520-24412-5 (cloth : alk. paper).—isbn 0-520-24413-3 (pbk. :
alk. paper)
1. Mexican Americans—New York (State)—New York—Social condi-
tions. 2. Immigrants—New York (State)—New York—Social condi-
tions. 3. Transnationalism. 4. United States—Relations—Mexico. 5.
Mexico—Relations—United States. 6. New York (N.Y.)—Emigration
and immigration. 7. Puebla (Mexico : State)—Emigration and immigra-
tion. 8. New York (N.Y.)—Ethnic relations. I. Title.
F128.9.M5S64 2006
304.8’7471072’090511—dc22 2005001616
Manufactured in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on New Leaf EcoBook 60, containing 60% post-
consumer waste, processed chlorine free; 30% de-inked recycled fiber, el-
emental chlorine free; and 10% fsc-certified virgin fiber, totally chlorine
free. EcoBook 60 is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/astm d5634-01 (Permanence of Paper). I
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
1. transnational life in
ethnographic perspective 1
2. dual contexts for transnational life 18
3. “los ausentes siempre presentes”:
making a local-level transnational
political community 53
4. the defeat of don victorio:
transnationalization, democratization,
and political change 76
5. gender strategies, settlement, and
transnational life in the first generation 94
6. “in ticuani, he goes crazy”: the second
generation renegotiates gender 123
7. “padre jesús, protect me”:
adolescence, religion, and social location 147
8. “i’ll go back next year”:
transnational life across the life course 186
9. defending your name: the roots and
transnationalization of mexican gangs 207
10. returning to a changed ticuani 242
conclusions and recommendations 277
coda: the mexican educational foundation
of new york 293
Notes 297
Bibliography 317
Methodological Appendix 351
Index 359
Illustrations
figures
1. Ticuani, circa 1920 and 2004 40
2. Old one-story stone house next to two-story house,
Ticuani, 2004 51
3. New housing construction, Ticuani, 2000 51
4. Ticuanenses gather for ceremony inaugurating
potable water project, 1994 67
5–6. Icon of Padre Jesús, 2000 150
7. Antorcha runners, Ticuani, 2000 152
8. New York Antorcha, 2004 155
9. Runners on Manhattan Bridge, New York
Antorcha, 2004 155
10. Ticuani youth in Dance of the Tecuanis, 2004 156
11. Informant for this book and her son at Feast of
Padre Jesús, New York, 2004 156
12. Replica of Padre Jesús statue in a Brooklyn church, 2005 157
13. Procession for Padre Jesús, Ticuani, 2000 180
14. Young men carrying icon of Padre Jesús, Ticuani, 2000 183
15. Luxurious two-story house, Ticuani, 2004 200
16. Gang graffiti, Ticuani, 2004 234
17. Gang names, Ticuani, 2000 234
18. Ticuani’s zocalo, 2004 254
vii