Beyond the borderlands : migration and belonging in the United States. and Mexico

Over the last three decades, migration from Mexico to the United States has moved beyond the borderlands to diverse communities across the country, with the most striking transformations in American suburbs and small towns. This study explores the challenges encountered by Mexican families as they endeavor to find their place in the U.S. by focusing on Kennett Square, a small farming village in Pennsylvania known as the "Mushroom Capital of the World." In a highly readable account based on extensive fieldwork among Mexican migrants and their American neighbors, Debra Lattanzi Shutika explores the issues of belonging and displacement that are central concerns for residents in communities that have become new destinations for Mexican settlement. Beyond the Borderlands also completes the circle of migration by following migrant families as they return to their hometown in Mexico, providing an illuminating perspective of the tenuous lives of Mexicans residing in, but not fully part of, two worlds. Over the last three decades, migration from Mexico to the United States has moved beyond the borderlands to diverse communities across the country, with the most striking transformations in American suburbs and small towns. This study explores the challenges encountered by Mexican families as they endeavor to find their place in the U.S. by focusing on Kennett Square, a small farming village in Pennsylvania known as the "Mushroom Capital of the World." This book looks at the issues of belonging and displacement that are central concerns for residents in communities that have become new destinations for Mexican settlement. It also completes the circle of migration by following migrant families as they return to their hometown in Mexico, providing a perspective of the tenuous lives of Mexicans residing in, but not fully part of, two worlds Frontmatter List of Illustrations (page vii) Acknowledgments (page ix) 1. Introduction: New Borders and Destinations (page 1) 2. "I give thanks to God, after that, the United States": Everyday Life in Textitlán (page 38) 3. La Casa Vacía: Meanings and Memories in Abandoned Immigrant Houses (page 68) 4. In the Shadows and Out: Mexican Kennett Square (page 91) 5. Bridging the Community: Nativism, Activism, and the Politics of Belonging (page 136) 6. There and Back Again: The Pilgrimage of Return Migration (page 166) 7. The Ambivalent Welcome: Cinco de Mayo and the Performance of Local Identity and Ethnic Relations (page 203) Epilogue (page 239) Notes (page 249) References (page 275) Index (page 293) Introduction: New Borders And Destinations -- I Give Thanks To God, After That, The United States: Everyday Life In Textitlán -- La Casa Vacía: Meanings And Memories In Abandoned Immigrant Houses -- In The Shadows And Out: Mexican Kennett Square -- Bridging The Community: Nativism, Activism, And The Politics Of Belonging -- There And Back Again: The Pilgrimage Of Return Migration -- The Ambivalent Welcome: Cinco De Mayo And The Performance Of Local Identity And Ethnic Relations -- Epilogue. Debra Lattanzi Shutika. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This study explores the challenges encountered by Mexican families as they endeavour to find their place in the United States