Reimagining the Immigrant: The Accommodation of Mexican Immigrants in Rural America

254 Pages·2009·1.92 MB·English

by  Brian D. Haley

Reimagining the Immigrant
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Reimagining the Immigrant
The Accommodation of Mexican
Immigrants in Rural America
Brian D. Haley
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REIMAGINING THE IMMIGRANT
Copyright © Brian D. Haley 2009
All rights reserved.
First published in 2009 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–0–230–61602–8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Haley, Brian D.
Reimagining the immigrant : the accommodation of Mexican
immigrants in rural America / Brian D. Haley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–230–61602–8 (alk. paper)
1. Migrant agricultural laborers—California—San Luis Obispo
County—Social conditions. 2. Mexicans—California—San Luis Obispo
County—Social conditions. 3. Agriculture—Social aspects—
California—San Luis Obispo County. 4. San Luis Obispo County
(Calif.)—Rural conditions. 5. San Luis Obispo County (Calif.)—Race
relations. 6. Mexico—Emigration and immigration. 7. United States—
Emigration and immigration. I. Title.
HD1527.C2H35 2009
305.868(cid:1)72079478—dc22 2009016797
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: December 2009
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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In memoriam,
Naomi Stutsman Haley
(1921–1992)
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C O N T E N T S
List of Illustrations ix
List of Tables xi
Acknowledgments xiii
One Introduction 1
Two The Changing Farm and Town 23
Three Making Social Categories from Local Roots and Class 47
Four The Rhetoric and Practice of Ethnicity 69
Five Institutions, Leadership, and Community 93
Six “We Want Our Town Back!” 119
Seven Sources of Local Integration 145
Eight The Delictum Vineyards Scandal and Its Aftermath 171
Nine Immigration’s Dual Outcomes 191
Notes 213
Bibliography 223
Index 233
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L I S T O F I L L U S T R A T I O N S
Maps
1.1 The Shandon region 8
2.1 Agricultural land uses on Shandon Flat in 1970 and
vineyards in 1990 31
Figures
2.1 San Luis Obispo County wheat and barley acreage and
Conservation Reserve Program 28
2.2 San Luis Obispo County cattle and calves 29
2.3 San Luis Obispo County alfalfa hay acreage 32
2.4 Grape vineyard development in the Shandon region by
planting year 34
2.5 Ethnicity of farmworker household heads with children in
Shandon District schools 38
2.6 The New Rural Demography 45
6.1 A small, dilapidated house in Shandon Alley 124
7.1 Native and immigrant teens gather around the
Club Azteca table 166
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