Brazos de Oro: Mexican Contract Labor Migration and the Political Economy of the American Southwest, 1917-1973

Israel Pastrana
History
UC San Diego

The dissertation project explored the historical origins and development of Mexican contract labor importation to the United States from 1917 to 1973. With the aid of a UC California Studies Consortium Graduate Student Travel Grand, I examined the Paul S. Taylor and Manuel Gamio Papers at UC Berkeley and investigated the role of Mexican contract labor in the development of industrial agriculture and capitalist labor relations in the American Southwest. Together with other collections, the significance of circular migration, rather than immigration, proves central for understanding the history of Mexicans in the U.S.