The University of Arizona Press
Chicano-Chicana Americana
Pop Culture Pluralism Starring Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Robert Beltran, and Lupe Ontiveros
Paperback ($26.95), Ebook ($26.95)
Buy
Chicano-Chicana Americana is a cultural history of Mexican Americans in film, television, and theater. Through biographical sketches of performers such as Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Robert Beltran, and Lupe Ontiveros, this work asserts Mexican Americans’ proper place in the national narratives of our collective imaginary. Conveying a multicentered, polycultural America, this book shows us intriguing performers in bit parts who steal the scene and redefine what it means to be American.
Each biographical chapter analyzes an underappreciated actor, revealing their artistic contributions to U.S. common culture. Their long-shot careers tell a tale of players taking action with agency and fighting for screen time and equal opportunity despite disadvantages and differential treatment in Hollywood. These dynamic and complex individuals altered cinematic representations—and audience expectations—by surpassing stereotypes.
The book explores American national character by showing how ethnic Mexicans attained social and cultural status through fair, open competition without a radical realignment of political or economic structures. Their creative achievements demanded dignity and earned respect. Anthony Macías argues that these performances demonstrated a pop culture pluralism that subtly changed mainstream America, transforming it from the mythological past of the Wild West to the speculative future of science fiction.
Each biographical chapter analyzes an underappreciated actor, revealing their artistic contributions to U.S. common culture. Their long-shot careers tell a tale of players taking action with agency and fighting for screen time and equal opportunity despite disadvantages and differential treatment in Hollywood. These dynamic and complex individuals altered cinematic representations—and audience expectations—by surpassing stereotypes.
The book explores American national character by showing how ethnic Mexicans attained social and cultural status through fair, open competition without a radical realignment of political or economic structures. Their creative achievements demanded dignity and earned respect. Anthony Macías argues that these performances demonstrated a pop culture pluralism that subtly changed mainstream America, transforming it from the mythological past of the Wild West to the speculative future of science fiction.
“The book is well researched and nicely argued, and its strength lies in Macías’s convincing exposition of how Chicana/o/x 'threads have been woven into the tapestry of Americana.' ”—Ruben A. Arellano, The Western Historical Quarterly
“The book’s focus on a selection of often-overlooked Chicanx actors is a welcome addition to the literature on Latinxs within the larger body of scholarship on the history of film, television, and media. Macias’s monograph will interest students and scholars of Chicanx, Latinx, and Mexican histories: US film and media, and race and ethnicity.”—Monique Flores Ulysses, Journal of American Ethnic History
“Thanks to Macías’s bountiful examination of these representations of pop culture/pochos-pochas pluralisms, his admirable book turns us to the subtle ways in which Chicanx performers change the fictionalized social history of the United States by reestablishing these influential performers into the fabric of a nation. By reenvisioning Americana through a Chicanx perspective, Macías masterfully demonstrates that American culture contains multiple identities rather than the singular narrative we often attribute to the 'American Dream.' "—Emily Snyder, MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
“Macias's work is a compelling exploration of the pivotal role Chicanx actors played in shaping mainstream American culture throughout the 20th century. Macias deftly combines biographical accounts of these actors with insightful analysis of cultural politics, representation, and the broader impact of their contributions."—Elizabeth Barahona, The Journal of Popular Culture
“The book’s focus on a selection of often-overlooked Chicanx actors is a welcome addition to the literature on Latinxs within the larger body of scholarship on the history of film, television, and media. Macias’s monograph will interest students and scholars of Chicanx, Latinx, and Mexican histories: US film and media, and race and ethnicity.”—Monique Flores Ulysses, Journal of American Ethnic History
“Thanks to Macías’s bountiful examination of these representations of pop culture/pochos-pochas pluralisms, his admirable book turns us to the subtle ways in which Chicanx performers change the fictionalized social history of the United States by reestablishing these influential performers into the fabric of a nation. By reenvisioning Americana through a Chicanx perspective, Macías masterfully demonstrates that American culture contains multiple identities rather than the singular narrative we often attribute to the 'American Dream.' "—Emily Snyder, MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
“Macias's work is a compelling exploration of the pivotal role Chicanx actors played in shaping mainstream American culture throughout the 20th century. Macias deftly combines biographical accounts of these actors with insightful analysis of cultural politics, representation, and the broader impact of their contributions."—Elizabeth Barahona, The Journal of Popular Culture
272 Pages
6 x 9 x 0.618
Published: February 2023Paperback ISBN: 9780816547234
Published: February 2023Ebook ISBN: 9780816547241