Overview
Colonial Migrants at the Heart of Empire is the first in-depth look at the experiences of Puerto Rican migrant workers in continental U.S. agriculture in the twentieth century. The Farm Labor Program, established by the government of Puerto Rico in 1947, placed hundreds of thousands of migrant workers on U.S. farms and fostered the emergence of many stateside Puerto Rican communities. Ismael García-Colón investigates the origins and development of this program and uncovers the unique challenges faced by its participants. A labor history and an ethnography, Colonial Migrants evokes the violence, fieldwork, food, lodging, surveillance, and coercion that these workers experienced on farms and conveys their hopes and struggles to overcome poverty. Island farmworkers encountered a unique form of prejudice and racism arising from their dual status as both U.S. citizens and as “foreign others,” and their experiences were further shaped by evolving immigration policies. Despite these challenges, many Puerto Rican farmworkers ultimately chose to settle in rural U.S. communities, contributing to the production of food and the Latinization of the U.S. farm labor force.
Full Product Details
Author: Ismael Garcia-Colon
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Volume: 57
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.80cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.590kg
ISBN: 9780520325784
ISBN 10: 0520325788
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 18 February 2020
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
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Reviews
The book is extraordinary in that it develops in a well-structured and flowing narrative a rich map across decades, institutions, and states, and suggests a framework for further study. . . . The balance that the book strikes in its coverage of complex and dense materials is impressive. It should be at the top of the reading list of any scholar working on Puerto Rican studies; with other recent contributions, it is the latest contribution of a wave of historically framed and researched studies that will reimagine our understanding of the Puerto Rican experience. * CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies *
The book is extraordinary in that it develops in a well-structured and flowing narrative a rich map across decades, institutions, and states, and suggests a framework for further study. . . . The balance that the book strikes in its coverage of complex and dense materials is impressive. It should be at the top of the reading list of any scholar working on Puerto Rican studies; with other recent contributions, it is the latest contribution of a wave of historically framed and researched studies that will reimagine our understanding of the Puerto Rican experience. * CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies * A comprehensive study. * American Ethnologist *
"""The book is extraordinary in that it develops in a well-structured and flowing narrative a rich map across decades, institutions, and states, and suggests a framework for further study. . . . The balance that the book strikes in its coverage of complex and dense materials is impressive. It should be at the top of the reading list of any scholar working on Puerto Rican studies; with other recent contributions, it is the latest contribution of a wave of historically framed and researched studies that will reimagine our understanding of the Puerto Rican experience."" * CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies * ""A comprehensive study."" * American Ethnologist *"
Author Information
Ismael García-Colón is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the College of Staten Island and CUNY Graduate Center. He is a historical and political anthropologist with interests in political economy and oral history, and the author of Land Reform in Puerto Rico: Modernizing the Colonial State.
