Title
Fit to Be Citizens?: Public Health and Race in Los Angeles, 18791939 (American Crossroads) (Volume 20),Used
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Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Fit to Be Citizens? demonstrates how both science and public health shaped the meaning of race in the early twentieth century. Through a careful examination of the experiences of Mexican, Japanese, and Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, Natalia Molina illustrates the many ways local health officials used complexly constructed concerns about public health to demean, diminish, discipline, and ultimately define racial groups. She shows how the racialization of Mexican Americans was not simply a matter of legal exclusion or labor exploitation, but rather that scientific discourses and public health practices played a key role in assigning negative racial characteristics to the group. The book skillfully moves beyond the binary oppositions that usually structure works in ethnic studies by deploying comparative and relational approaches that reveal the racialization of Mexican Americans as intimately associated with the relative historical and social positions of Asian Americans, African Americans, and whites. Its rich archival grounding provides a valuable history of public health in Los Angeles, living conditions among Mexican immigrants, and the ways in which regional racial categories influence national laws and practices. Molinas compelling study advances our understanding of the complexity of racial politics, attesting that racism is not static and that different groups can occupy different places in the racial order at different times.
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'Fit to Be Citizens?: Public Health and Race in Los Angeles'? A: The book explores how public health policies and scientific discourses shaped racial identities and experiences of Mexican, Japanese, and Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles from 1879 to 1939.
- Q: Who is the author of the book and what is her background? A: The author is Natalia Molina, who is a prominent scholar in ethnic studies and public health, focusing on the intersection of race and health in historical contexts.
- Q: What are the key historical periods discussed in the book? A: The book covers the period from 1879 to 1939, examining the early twentieth century's public health practices and their impact on racialization.
- Q: Is this book suitable for academic research? A: Yes, the book is meticulously researched and provides valuable archival insights, making it suitable for academic research in fields like ethnic studies, public health, and history.
- Q: What is the format of the book? A: The book is available in paperback format, with a total of 293 pages.
- Q: What makes this book different from other works in ethnic studies? A: The book employs comparative and relational approaches, moving beyond binary oppositions to analyze the racialization of various groups in relation to one another.
- Q: When was 'Fit to Be Citizens?' published? A: The book was published on March 13, 2006.
- Q: What types of sources does the author use in her research? A: Natalia Molina uses rich archival sources that document public health policies, living conditions among immigrants, and historical racial categories.
- Q: Can this book help in understanding current racial politics? A: Yes, the book offers insights into the complexity of racial politics, illustrating how past public health practices have influenced contemporary racial dynamics.
- Q: What edition of the book is available? A: The book is available in its first edition.