Mexican Immigrants’ Perceptions and Attitudes: Evidence from Popular Songs of the Bracero Program Era

A study of perceptions and attitudes of Mexican bracero laborers during the era of the Bracero Program (1942–1964), and how these affected their identity once in the U.S., through the song lyrics of 14 corridos (songs) from that period, recordings stored in UCLA’s Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings database. Examination of how particular nationalistic character traits were embodied in the braceros’ sense of identity, despite conflicting with long-held values in Mexico, to assess the relevance of this music for Chicano and Latino Studies scholars.