Blood Oranges

Colonialism and Agriculture in the South Texas Borderlands

Business & Finance, Industries & Professions, Industries, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Blood Oranges by Timothy P. Bowman, Texas A&M University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Timothy P. Bowman ISBN: 9781623494155
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press Publication: May 15, 2016
Imprint: Texas A&M University Press Language: English
Author: Timothy P. Bowman
ISBN: 9781623494155
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Publication: May 15, 2016
Imprint: Texas A&M University Press
Language: English

Blood Oranges traces the origins and legacy of racial differences between Anglo Americans and ethnic Mexicans (Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans) in the South Texas borderlands in the twentieth century. Author Tim Bowman uncovers a complex web of historical circumstances that caused ethnic Mexicans in the region to rank among the poorest, least educated, and unhealthiest demographic in the country. The key to this development, Bowman finds, was a “modern colonization movement,” a process that had its roots in the Mexican-American war of the nineteenth century but reached its culmination in the twentieth century. South Texas, in Bowman’s words, became an “internal economy just inside of the US-Mexico border.”

Beginning in the twentieth century, Anglo Americans consciously transformed the region from that of a culturally “Mexican” space, with an economy based on cattle, into one dominated by commercial agriculture focused on citrus and winter vegetables. As Anglos gained political and economic control in the region, they also consolidated their power along racial lines with laws and customs not unlike the “Jim Crow” system of southern segregation. Bowman argues that the Mexican labor class was thus transformed into a marginalized racial caste, the legacy of which remained in place even as large-scale agribusiness cemented its hold on the regional economy later in the century.

Blood Oranges stands to be a major contribution to the history of South Texas and borderland studies alike.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Blood Oranges traces the origins and legacy of racial differences between Anglo Americans and ethnic Mexicans (Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans) in the South Texas borderlands in the twentieth century. Author Tim Bowman uncovers a complex web of historical circumstances that caused ethnic Mexicans in the region to rank among the poorest, least educated, and unhealthiest demographic in the country. The key to this development, Bowman finds, was a “modern colonization movement,” a process that had its roots in the Mexican-American war of the nineteenth century but reached its culmination in the twentieth century. South Texas, in Bowman’s words, became an “internal economy just inside of the US-Mexico border.”

Beginning in the twentieth century, Anglo Americans consciously transformed the region from that of a culturally “Mexican” space, with an economy based on cattle, into one dominated by commercial agriculture focused on citrus and winter vegetables. As Anglos gained political and economic control in the region, they also consolidated their power along racial lines with laws and customs not unlike the “Jim Crow” system of southern segregation. Bowman argues that the Mexican labor class was thus transformed into a marginalized racial caste, the legacy of which remained in place even as large-scale agribusiness cemented its hold on the regional economy later in the century.

Blood Oranges stands to be a major contribution to the history of South Texas and borderland studies alike.

More books from Texas A&M University Press

Cover of the book Migration-Trust Networks by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Circuit Riders for Mental Health by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Links to the Past by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Still Turning by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Kennewick Man by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Churchill Wanted Dead or Alive by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book I'll Be Here in the Morning by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Born on the Island by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book The Natural History of Flowers by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Unnatural Texas? by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book From the Frio to Del Rio by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Texas Aggies in Vietnam by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book Paleoamerican Odyssey by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book John P. McGovern, MD by Timothy P. Bowman
Cover of the book With Santa Anna in Texas by Timothy P. Bowman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy