Synopses & Reviews
Throughout its history, the nation that is now called the United States has been inextricably entwined with the nation now called Mexico. Indeed, their indigenous peoples interacted long before borders of any kind were established. Today, though, the border between the two nations is so prominent that it is front-page news in both countries. Douglas Monroy, a noted Mexican American historian, has for many years pondered the historical and cultural intertwinings of the two nations. Here, in beautifully crafted essays, he reflects on some of the many ways in which the citizens of the two countries have misunderstood each other. Putting himself and his own quest for understandingdirectly into his work, he contemplates the missions of California; the differences between liberal” and traditional” societies; the meanings of words like Mexican, Chicano, and Latino; and even the significance of avocados and bathing suits. In thought-provoking chapters, he considers why Native Americans didnt embrace Catholicism, why NAFTA isnt working the way it was supposed to, and why Mexicans and their neighbors to the north tell themselves different versions of the same historical events. In his own thoughtful way, Monroy is an explorer. Rather than trying to conquer new lands, however, his goal is to gain new insights. He wants to comprehend two cultures that are bound to each other without fully recognizing their bonds. Along with Monroy, readers will discover that borders, when we stop and really think about it, are drawn more deeply in our minds than on any maps.
Review
"This book brims with ideas and connections. If one seeks a different perspective from the overly romanticized viewpoint or the diatribe of political rhetoric on the issues of our southern border, this book offers it." La Herencia In his new book The Borders Within, Monroy examines the historical and cultural encounters between Mexico and the US as something fluid and changing, in a narrative which is, at the same time, analytical and personal.” El Hispano
About the Author
Douglas Monroy is a professor of history and chair of the Department of History at Colorado College. He is the author of Thrown Among Strangers: The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California, winner of the James Rawley Prize of the Organization of American Historians, and Rebirth: Mexican Los Angeles from the Great Migration to the Great Depression.