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La Familia

Chicano Families in the Urban Southwest, 1848 to the Present

Richard Griswold del Castillo

In detailed historical analyses of Mexican immigration, economic class struggle, intermarriage, urbanization and industrialization, regional differences, and discrimination and prejudice, La Familia demonstrates how such social and economic factors have contributed to the contemporary diversity of the Mexican-American family. By comparing their family experience with those of European immigrants, he discloses important dimensions of Mexican-American ethnicity.

“. . . concise and fascinating . . .” —American Anthropologist

“La Familia is an innovative historical study of a social institution vital to Mexican-American culture—the family—in a setting equally crucial to understanding Mexican-American history—the American Southwest. Griswold’s study represents an important advance in concept and practice of Chicano social history.” —Journal of American Ethnic History

“Castillo has written the first important historical examination of the Mexican-American family.” —American Historical Review

“. . . a detailed examination of the place and significance of the Chicano family in contemporary American society.” —Latin American and Caribbean Contemporary Record

“. . . a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature on both Mexican-American history and the family.” —The Western Historical Quarterly

Richard Griswold del Castillo is a Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at San Diego State University and author of The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: A Legacy of Conflict and The Los Angeles Barrio.

Reviews

“Using the combined theoretical perspectives of Mark Poster and Barbara Laslett as an initial framework for this work, Richard Griswold del Castillo recreates the history of Mexican American families in four Southwest communities: Tucson, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Santa Fe. . . . It can certainly be said that Castillo has added to the understanding of the historical and contemporary Mexican American family.”—International Social Science Review