The Places of Modernity in Early Mexican American Literature, 1848-1948

In The Places of Modernity in Early Mexican American Literature, 1848–1948, José F. Aranda Jr. argues that modernity for diverse communities of Mexican Americans is an apprehension of one settler colonial world order giving way to another more powerful colonialist but imperial vision of North America. Letters, folklore, print culture, and literary production demonstrate how a new Anglo-American political imaginary revised and realigned centuries-old discourses on race, gender, class, religion, citizenship, power, and sovereignty.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

In his groundbreaking work, "The Places of Modernity in Early Mexican American Literature, 1848-1948," José F. Aranda Jr. delves into the rich tapestry of Mexican American literature, spanning the first century of its development. Aranda's central argument revolves around the critical examination of modernity in the context of the emerging canon of pre-1968 Mexican American literature. He posits that understanding modernity for diverse communities of Mexican Americans requires a multifaceted perspective, seeing it as both a symbolic and material apprehension of the transition from one settler colonial world order to another more powerful yet imperial vision of North America.

Through a comprehensive analysis of various forms of cultural expression, including letters, folklore, print culture, and literary production, Aranda showcases how a new Anglo-American political imaginary has rewritten and reshaped centuries-old discourses on race, gender, class, religion, citizenship, power, and sovereignty. The "modern," as Aranda argues, becomes evident in cultural productions imposed upon a "conquered people," who, themselves, had benefited from a notion of modernity that emerged in 1492.

For Mexican Americans, modernity is less about specific anxieties about global imperial designs or cultures of capitalism and more about becoming subordinates to a nation-building project that propels the United States into the twentieth century. Aranda's work sheds light on the complex interplay between cultural identity, historical context, and the forces shaping modernity, offering a profound understanding of the rich and evolving literary landscape of Mexican American history.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496229106