Beautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora: Life Histories of Women Workers in Tijuana (LLILAS Translations from Latin America Series)

Published originally as La flor mas bella de la maquiladora , this beautifully written book is based on interviews the author conducted with more than fifty Mexican women who work in the assembly plants along the U.S.-Mexico border. A descriptive analytic study conducted in the late 1970s, the book uses compelling testimonials to detail the struggles these women face. The experiences of women in maquiladoras are attracting increasing attention from scholars, especially in the context of ongoing Mexican migration to the country's northern frontier and in light of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This book is among the earliest accounts of the physical and psychological toll exacted from the women who labor in these plants. Iglesias Prieto captures the idioms of these working women so that they emerge as dynamic individuals, young and articulate personalities, inexorably engaged in the daily struggle to change the fundamental conditions of their exploitation. Contents 8 Foreword 10 Translators’ Foreword 14 Acknowledgments 18 Introduction 20 1. Meeting the Demand 30 2. The Realm of Work 48 3. We Women Are More Responsible 58 4. Maquila Muchachas: Pretty Young Maids 65 5. Who I Am, Where I Come From, and Where I'm Going 75 6. Most Beautiful Flower of the Maquiladora 103 7. Solidev: An Embattled Maquiladora 110 8. By Way of Conclusion 127 Appendices 130 Bibliography 136 Index 140 "Published originally as La flor mas bella de la maquiladora, this book is based on interviews the author conducted with more than fifty Mexican women who work in the assembly plants along the U.S.-Mexico border. A descriptive analytic study conducted in the late 1970s, the book uses compelling testimonials to detail the struggles these women face."--BOOK JACKET Stories and testimonials about women who work in assembly plants along the U.S.-Mexico border.