Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans (Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture)
This volume is an examination of the history of Mexicans in the  territory of the present-day United States, emphasizing the role  of legal systems in restricting racial groups and establishing a  second-class political, economic, and social level for the  Mexican American minority population. Using the theoretical  framework developed by Michael Omi and Howard Winant in Racial  Formation in the United States, Menchaca (anthropology, Univ. of  Texas, Austin) suggests that the dominant white populations in  colonial Spanish America, independent Mexico, and the United  States have used the rule of law to discriminate against those  descended from African and Indian populations. One significant  contribution of the book is an attempt to examine the mostly  forgotten role of Mexicans of African descent in the Mexican  American population of the United States. The author's focus on  this population is important if overemphasized. This volume will  be of interest to academic libraries and public libraries with  Latino collections. Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib.,  Provo, UTCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.