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Among Mexican-Americans in St. Paul, Minnesota in the Post-WWII Era Macalester College This paper seeks to look at the complex processes and discourses in the construction of identity among Mexican-Americans in St. Paul, Minn., during the post-war period of 1945-1960. The Cold War era was chosen as a pivotal period in the history of this community because of the ways in which cultural trends of conformity, consumerism, and progress shaped the formation of ethnic identity. It is the assertion of this paper that the construction of
ethnicity within a group arises out of a complex interaction
between external and internal influences. Thus, ethnic identity
is a result of the tension between social and political contexts,
arising from the desire of the group to maintain cultural traditions
within a society that requires a certain degree of conformity
from immigrants. Within the context of contemporary ideas about
cultural pluralism, Mexican-Americans in St. Paul were significantly
affected by the pressure to conform to post-war Minnesota society.
However, members of the community did not desire a complete surrender
of important cultural traditions and values and so constantly
sought to define their distinctiveness. The formation of ethnic
identity was, therefore, a process of interaction between the
White communities' definition of the Mexican-American community
and its own constructions of ethnicity. The category called
Mexican-American and the definitions of its difference from other
racially coded constructions therefore may not be assumed and
essentialized, but historicized in time, place, and process. Hardcopy Price: $3.00
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