Historias de Éxito within Mexican Communities

Using qualitative research data on Mexican/Mexican Americans and their historias de éxito that center on Mexican centric concepts such as buen trabajador, bien educado, and buena gente, Octavio Pimentel reveals that when social networks guide personal goals in these communities, goals become community-oriented rather than personally-oriented.

"I applaud Octavio Pimentel's refigured approach to using a Mexican American methodology of case studies to capture the historias de éxito and 'cultural ways of being' of Luis and Quetzin. Those who conduct ethnographies and case studies on Mexican Americans have much to gain from studying Pimentel's 'confianza' relationship with these two individuals. Pimentel's approach to oral life-narratives should be a model to emulate for researchers who study Mexican Americans." - Cristina Kirklighter, co-editor of Voices and Visions: Refiguring Ethnography in Composition

"Pimentel's Historias de Éxito Within Mexican Communities re-defines notions of success with the experiences of laborers who defined it for themselves. Illuminating racist systems of power, Pimentel skillfully crosses disciplinary boundaries in his examination of immigration, geographic space, and language. This book contextualizes lived experiences of invisible ghosts in the American machine with a critical evaluation of US-Mexico history." - Cruz Medina, author of Reclaiming Poch@ Pop: Examining the Rhetoric of Cultural Deficiency

Autorentext

Octavio Pimentel is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition and Interim Director for the MA Rhetoric and Composition Program at Texas State University, USA. He is the co-editor of Communicating Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in Technical Communication (2014) and author of articles that have appeared in such journals as The Council Chronicle, Reflections: Journal of Writing, Community Literacy, and Service Learning, and the Journal of Latinos in Education.

Inhalt
Foreword; Victor Villanueva Preface; Luis Urrieta, Jr. 1. Introduction 2. Research Design and Method 3. Haciendo Y Compartiendo: Quetzin's Historia de Éxito 4. In Search of Prosperity at all Costs: Luis's Historia de Éxito 5. What Does all This Mean?' Implications and Conclusions Appendices