Democratic Renewal and the Mutual Aid Legacy of US Mexicans by Julie Leininger Pycior (review)

Julie Leininger Pycior investigates the history of Mexican American community-based mutual aid societies in the Southwest known as mutualistas and analyzes their far-reaching impact on a host of modern-day social and political movements, from immigrant rights and civil rights to labor organizing, and even the battle against corporate financial influence on politics and the media. Although few scholars are fully aware of the history of mutualistas, the groundwork laid by decades of these community organizers not only helped sustain Mexican American communities throughout the Southwest, but also aided future generations in the process of taking issues relating to the Mexican American community from “the perceived periphery of the national discourse to its center” (xx).

In constructing her argument, Pycior employs a rather unorthodox approach to the organization of her book, with each thematic chapter unfolding in reverse chronological fashion. Many readers may find this organizational choice a novel and intriguing one, and indeed it does facilitate the author’s effort to convince her audience of the lingering influence that mutualistas have had on the modern world. Others, however, particularly those who might not be as familiar with the history of these mutual aid societies, may find the reverse organization a bit frustrating, essentially waiting until the end of the chapter to learn exactly what Pycior is actually connecting to the present day.

Certainly a main strength of the book is the impressive amount of research Pycior has conducted, making particularly skilled use of a vast array of online sources without neglecting the more traditional wells of information. Even if one might disagree with her conclusions, there is no denying her scholarly thoroughness. Without a doubt, her most effective tactic is the use of oral histories from grassroots activists throughout Mexican American communities in Texas and the Southwest. She uses the words of her subjects to craft not only a historical account, but a truly human story that is both informative and moving.

The intimacy with her subject matter, however, at times represents something of a “double-edged sword,” as Pycior’s account often verges on the sentimental. The grassroots organizers featured in the book are indeed very sympathetic figures, but the author continually sets up the narrative of a righteous “underdog” battling evil, a paradigm some readers may grow weary of by the book’s end. While it is nearly impossible for historians to escape their own personal biases, Pycior makes little attempt to disguise hers, and frequently shifts from the role of objective scholar to that of advocate for grassroots-based social and political change. Nevertheless, the modern-day connections Pycior is able to uncover regarding the influence of mutualista-style organizing are apt, and even those who do not share in the author’s “hope for democratic renewal” (170) at the grassroots level would benefit from reading her fine work. Professional scholars, graduate students, and anyone else interested in the history of Mexican Americans in Texas and the Southwest should certainly take the time to investigate this book. In addition, scholars interested in the broader picture of civil rights history, labor history, or community organizing would also find the work most relevant.