Creating a Bracero Archive: Collaboration, Collections, and Challenges

This article describes from its inception a recovery and preservation project on the subject of the Bracero Program, curated by the National Museum of American History for the Smithsonian Institution. The essay includes background information on interviews conducted with Mexican and Mexican American men and families, regions visited and objects collected, and collaborations (with references to critical studies). It shows how translations and curatorial efforts took the form of a special exhibit.