Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments In this book I examine the racial history of the Mexican Americans. It is the culmination of many years of historical research. One of the major theoretical frameworks influencing my work has been Michael Omi and Howard Winant’s theory of racialization. In weaving this anthropological history, I hope to illustrate that knowledge of history can be used to understand our racial present. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to archaeologist Fred Valdez, who in many of our conversations helped me theorize the relations between land and race. I am also indebted to historian Ricardo Romo, who in the initial conceptualization of this book shared valuable insights into the Black heritage of the Mexican Americans. I am indebted to Diego Vigil, who over the years read my manuscripts and encouraged me to continue my historical research. I am also grateful to the National Research Council/Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Program for Minorities for the financial support I received in the early years of this research project. I extend my appreciation to the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin for the financial support I received to visit library archives and to the University Co-operative Society Subvention Program for funds used to complete this book. I want to thank my husband, Richard R. Valencia, my sisters-in-law, Betty Valencia-Cruz and Martha Gonzalez, and my niece, Elena Gonzalez , for allowing me to use their family histories to exemplify how oral traditions merge history and ethnography. xi THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Recovering History, Constructing Race THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...