Content area
Full text
The Culture of Migration in Southern Mexico, by Jeffrey H. Cohen. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. 195 pp. $50.00 cloth. ISBN: 0-292-70570-0. $21.95 paper. ISBN: 0-292-70592-1.
"Well, for me, you know, all I want is a satellite dish and my beers. I want to come home [Oaxaca] in a few years and just retire. That would be perfect. . . ." (p. 98)
The sentiment expressed by a migrant respondent in the United States symbolizes the perspective of most Oaxacan migrants who see migration as a way of bettering the lives of their families and themselves. Migration, especially from Mexico into the United States has become an issue fraught with ethnic, political, sociological, and economic issues. Prevailing ethnic prejudice toward Mexicans has led to a much distorted, oversimplified, even false perception of migrants, especially by the American public.
Cohen's work provides clear insights into the cultural, family, and individual dynamics that underlie migration from the state of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico. Focusing on a complex of communities in the region of Oaxaca City, his ethnographic, survey, and quantitative research reveals a clear image of what he calls the "culture of migration." His research methodology included utilizing demographic data...