Making ethnic choices : California's Punjabi Mexican Americans /

Leonard presents a detailed social history and ethnography of a bi-ethnic Punjabi-Mexican community in California. Basing her work on local official records, historical materials, and family oral histories gathered through interviews, Leonard depicts intermarriage and family formation, male and female kin and friendship networks, and conflict and love in the marriages of immigrant Punjabi farmers and Hispanic women. This book focuses on how the regional economic context and public policies helped determine the formation, the differential construction and reconstruction of ethnic identity, and gender power relationships. The problematic nature of cultural identity for the second generation, their role in reassessing ethnic identity, and the process of selecting their spouses and careers are also discussed. The impact of changes in US immigration policy and encounters with recent South Asian immigrants reveal interesting patterns of negotiated ethnic identities. Leonard provides insights into the process of making ethnic choices. Her meticulous and painstaking research makes a valuable contribution to Asian American history, anthropology, and sociology. Graduate. D. A. Chekki; University of Winnipeg