Overview
A powerful and challenging look at what “success” and belonging mean in America, through the eyes of Latino high schoolers striving toward community- and care-focused futures. This book challenges dominant representations of the so-called American Dream, those “patriotic” narratives that focus on personal achievement as the way to become an American. This narrative misaligns with the lived experience of many first- and second-generation Latino immigrant youth who thrive because of the nurture of their loved ones. A story of social reproduction and change, The Succeeders illustrates how ideological struggles over who belongs in this country, who is valuable, and who is an American are worked out by young people through their ordinary acts of striving in school and caring for friends and family. In this eye-opening ethnography of education, Andrea Flores examines the experiences of everyday high school student, some undocumented, some citizen, and some from families with mixed legal status. She tracks how the Succeeders—Latino immigrant-origin youth in a Tennessee college access program—leverage educational success toward national belonging for themselves, their family, friends, and community. Succeeders strive not for personal gain but because they are committed to reinvesting in their communities and expanding their capacity to care for extended families and friends. These young people come to redefine national belonging in the United States by both conforming to and contesting the myth of an American identity rooted in individual betterment. Despite being the focus of xenophobic ire, the Succeeders challenge the boundaries of national inclusion. Their efforts demonstrate that meaningful national belonging can be based in our actions of caring for others. Ultimately, The Succeeders emphasizes the vital role that immigrants play throughout the United States in strengthening the social fabric of society, helping communities everywhere to thrive.
Full Product Details
Author: Andrea Flores
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Volume: 53
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.454kg
ISBN: 9780520376854
ISBN 10: 0520376854
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 07 September 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
"""Through its focus on Latinx youth in the South, The Succeeders makes a much-needed contribution to studies on Latinx communities, immigration, and education."" * CHOICE * ""Flores skillfully presents a regional landscape of how Latina/o students currently experience belonging and through their critiques incite us to consider what belonging could be."" * Ethnic and Racial Studies *"
Through its focus on Latinx youth in the South, The Succeeders makes a much-needed contribution to studies on Latinx communities, immigration, and education. * CHOICE *
""Through its focus on Latinx youth in the South, The Succeeders makes a much-needed contribution to studies on Latinx communities, immigration, and education."" * CHOICE * ""Flores skillfully presents a regional landscape of how Latina/o students currently experience belonging and through their critiques incite us to consider what belonging could be."" * Ethnic and Racial Studies *
Through its focus on Latinx youth in the South, The Succeeders makes a much-needed contribution to studies on Latinx communities, immigration, and education. * CHOICE * Flores skillfully presents a regional landscape of how Latina/o students currently experience belonging and through their critiques incite us to consider what belonging could be. * Ethnic and Racial Studies *
Author Information
Andrea Flores is an anthropologist and Assistant Professor of Education at Brown University. Her work has been published in leading anthropology journals, including American Ethnologist, American Anthropologist, and Anthropology and Education Quarterly.
