Social TextVol. 24 Iss. 3 (2006)
Without Their Children: Rethinking Motherhood Among Transnational Migrant Women
Melanie Nicholson
Nicholson poignantly relays the story of mothers who work in one nation while their children mature in another, placing this arrangement in a historical context claiming, although not convincingly, that Latina women have a legacy of similar employment and domestic patterns.
Los Hombres No Mandan Aqui: Narrating Immigrant Genders and Sexualities in New York
Carlos Ulises Decena, Michele G. Shedlin, and Angela Martinez
The authors offer a well reasoned plea for a transnational analysis of gender roles in order to break down persistent stereotypes of Latin culture. Central to their argument is the contention that divergent regional dynamics complicate traditional assumptions regarding gender and sexuality.
A la Parada: The Social Practices of Men on a Street Corner
Carolyn Pinedo Turnovsky
Turnovsky presents an insightful exploration of the street corner as a social institution for day laborers. The most interesting aspect of this analysis is the discussion of loneliness and the social relationships developed to combat it.
Anti-immigrant Violence in Suburbia
James E. Claffey
In this Preface to a new book, Claffey examines the struggles of immigrants in suburban settings and the rhetoric of invasion employed to oppose them. This piece will function well as a preface, but fails to provide sufficient evidence to succeed as a stand-alone article.
New Immigrants in Rural Communities: The Challenges of Integration
Pilar A. Parra and Max J. Pfeffer
The authors examine immigrants in rural communities and convincingly argue that the rural setting is more conducive to longer term settlement than the urban or suburban, despite reduced access to transportation or social networks outside of metropolitan centers.
La Virgen Meets Eliot Spitzer: Articulating Labor Rights for Mexican Immigrants
Alyshia Galvez
Galvez explores the flexibility of religious symbols as sources of cultural pride and a catalyst for social activism in New York. The paper bogs down when Galvez relays the role of Attorney General (now Governor) Eliot Spitzer in advancing immigrant rights. It is in the discussion of the politics of religion that this article is at its best.
REVIEWED BY
Ben Wright
If you have questions or comments, or if you would like to submit a review of a journal, please send an email to Ben Wright at bgw2108@columbia.edu.