Ethnic Studies Review
Orginal Publication Date
2010
Journal Title
Ethnic Studies Review
Volume
33
Issue
esr/vol33/iss1
First Page
170
Last Page
172
Abstract
Alyshia Galvez's Guadalupe in New York is an important contribution to a growing body of sociological and anthropological work devoted to immigrants and their fight for basic human rights in the United States. Galvez, a cultural anthropologist, uses interviews and observations to study the process of guadalupanismo (worship of Mexico's patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe) among recent Mexican immigrants in New York City. Between 2000 and 2008, Galvez gathered information on Marian worship by following members of comités guadalupanos, or social groups organized by parish, and explains her methodology in a useful appendix. Galvez argues that through these comités, undocumented Mexican immigrants engage in "political, activist activities which enhance their sense of well-being in material, lived and symbolic ways while their juridical status remains unchanged" (4). More specifically, it is Galvez's sophisticated and subtle observations on the connections between religion, politics, and transnational space that make her book a solid foundation for future ethnic studies.
Rights
Copyright ©ESR, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 2010
Comments
Comparative Immigrant & Gender Considerations