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Mexican Americans or Coconuts? Middle-Class Minority and American Identities

in Barrios to Burbs: The Making of the Mexican American Middle Class

A comparison of middle-class Mexican Americans from different class backgrounds and generations will reveal the nuances of ethnic identity. According to traditional assimilation theorists, ... More

A comparison of middle-class Mexican Americans from different class backgrounds and generations will reveal the nuances of ethnic identity. According to traditional assimilation theorists, structurally incorporated immigrants and their descendants will exhibit fading patterns of ethnicity and identify with whites, the dominant group. However, the Mexican American middle-class category includes individuals who adopt a variety of ethnic identities, from Latino to American, Mexican, and Mexican American. These socially constructed identities are shaped by class background, a component of ethnic identity that has received little attention. By interacting with whites as well as with coethnics within and outside the ethnic community, especially in the workplace, middle-class Mexican Americans exhibit class and generational differences in ethnic identification that enable others to determine what side of the ethnic boundary they belong. Ultimately, Mexican Americans who were raised in middle-class households will follow a path of linear assimilation and crossing boundaries with middle-class whites. In contrast, those who grew up in poor households and communities will follow a minority pathway into the middle class.Less

A Disaffection (1989)

Simon Kővesi

in James Kelman

This chapter studies A Disaffection, one of Kelman's novels that feature a character with a working-class background. Unlike the protagonists of the other novels, however, A Disaffection's Patrick ... More

This chapter studies A Disaffection, one of Kelman's novels that feature a character with a working-class background. Unlike the protagonists of the other novels, however, A Disaffection's Patrick Doyle is the only one who attends university. The chapter states that Kelman describes Doyle as ‘a naive character’ and that he forces a political distinction between him and Doyle. Doyle is a character caught between two worlds, each of which he continually defines against the other. Kelman uses him as a representative of an alienated Scotland, and actively criticises education in this novel. The chapter also discusses the theme of control and the concrete references to the proper nouns of real historical personages.Less

Anarchists as individuals: a micro-structural analysis

Dana M. Williams

in Black Flags and Social Movements: A Sociological Analysis of Movement Anarchism

The goal of this chapter is to explore the micro-level characteristics of anarchists. How do anarchists today identify socially and politically? What is the class composition of anarchist movements? ... More

The goal of this chapter is to explore the micro-level characteristics of anarchists. How do anarchists today identify socially and politically? What is the class composition of anarchist movements? In recent decades, some observers have claimed that anarchist movements have changed to focus less on economic issues and are more divorced from the working class. Through the analysis of survey responses, this chapter demonstrates that the union membership of anarchists is related to subjective working-class status, age, residence, economic anarchist ideology, anarchist movement participation, and activist identity. While not conclusive or uncomplicated, these findings call into question the claims that all modern movements (including anarchism) are postmaterialist, and emphasize collective cultural identity to the neglect of economic identity and class.Less

Origins, 1951–1969

Jean W. Cash

in Larry Brown: A Writer's Life

This chapter illustrates how Larry Brown emerged from a troubled, working-class background, and how he rose to success through a combination of personal determination and talent, clear insight into ... More

This chapter illustrates how Larry Brown emerged from a troubled, working-class background, and how he rose to success through a combination of personal determination and talent, clear insight into what makes us human, and the support of the strong, ambitious women in his life. Except for his ten years in Memphis and two years in the marines, Brown lived in Tula or Yocona for virtually all of his life. The Brown family also had deep roots in Lafayette County. Even in Brown’s early years, the family’s lack of money and his father’s alcoholism posed constant problems. The family lived in Lafayette County until Brown was three years old. The family found life in Memphis a little better than life in Mississippi, although Brown’s mother Leona recalled receiving considerable help from family members.Less