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Course Introduction & Definition of Key Terms

Explore how Mexican Americans organize and participate in politics, opportunities for alliances with other groups, historical contexts, and contemporary challenges. Course includes readings, essays, exam, and interactive discussions.

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Course Introduction & Definition of Key Terms

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  1. Course Introduction & Definition of Key Terms Mexican Americans and Politics Class 1 January 10, 2006

  2. Introductions • Louis DeSipio • LDESIPIO@UCI.EDU • Office hours Tuesdays, 11:15 – 1:00, SSPB 5283 • Christopher Stout, TA • CSTOUT@UCI.EDU • Office hours Wednesdays, 12:30 – 2:30 SST 734 • The Website -- http://eee.uci.edu/06w/67130/

  3. Course Objectives • How do Mexican Americans organize to make demands on political institutions? • Is it accurate to speak of a Mexican American political community? • What are the opportunities and barriers to Mexican American participation? • How do institutions respond to these demands? • How have institutions changed over time? • Are there opportunities for political alliances with other racial/ethnic groups?

  4. Course Structure • Foundations • Destruction and rebirth • Civil rights and contemporary Mexican American empowerment • Community and electoral mobilization • Community organization and influence • Barriers and resources to overcome barriers • Public policy • Immigration and naturalization • Coalitional politics

  5. Resources • Two books • David Gutierrez. 1995. Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants and the Politics of Ethnicity. • Louis DeSipio. 1996. Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate. • Reading packet from Anteater Publishing • Most readings available on reserve

  6. Evaluation • Essays – Due February 2, February 23, and March 14 • Students must complete two of three essays assigned • Each worth 25 percent of final grade • Midterm Exam – March 2 • Worth 40 percent of final grade • Quiz on Reading Theses/Methods – March 16 • Worth 10 percent of final grade

  7. Why Study Mexican American Politics?

  8. Politics • Demography • Numbers shape opportunities and expectations • Demography isn’t destiny (see essay #2) • Party competition, particularly Republican competition • Concentration in a handful of states and dispersion to new destinations • Local politics in many areas will depend on Latino role

  9. Political Science • Past exclusion and neglect • What are the long-term political effects of denial of rights (see essay #1)? • Mexican American contribution to Latino politics • Is Latino politics a durable cohesive politics that will grow in the 21st Century (see essay #3)? • Mexican American/Latino role in coalitional politics • Mexican Americans and national notions of equal opportunity

  10. Definitions

  11. Mexican American • Identity based on national origin or ancestry • An immigrant from Mexico who arrived yesterday • A descendant of a Spanish migrant to New Mexico in 1650 who passed through Mexico • Should not assume a common political agenda or culture among all Mexican Americans – cleavages • Distinct from a pan-ethnic identity • Latino/Hispanics – Individuals in the United States who trace their ancestry or origin to the Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America or the Caribbean • Mexican Americans may identify as Latino, or may not

  12. Politics • The authoritative allocation of resources and values • Who gets what when, where, and how? • However you define politics: • At its core it creates winners and losers, and • There are predictable patterns based on individual and group characteristics • For our purposes • Efforts by individuals and groups to shape the allocation of resources • Elections are one example, but not the only one

  13. Contemporary Examples • Demand making and community organizing • SB 670 – California apologizes for 1930s repatriations • Mexican government efforts to organize émigrés • Electoral • Bustamante candidacy for California Governor • Bill Richardson’s tentative 2008 presidential campaign • Policy • Driver’s licenses for unauthorized immigrants • Changing rules for naturalization • Border walls, guest workers, and/or a new legalization

  14. For Next Time • Readings: • Gutierrez, introduction and Chapter 1 • ** Griswold del Castillo, Richard. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: A Legacy of Conflict, chaps 3 and 5. • Questions to keep in mind: • What guarantees did the Treaty offer the former Mexican subjects in the new U.S. Southwest? • Why did these guarantees become largely meaningless?

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