Constructing Identities in Mexican-American Political Organizations

In Constructing Identities in Mexican-American Political Organizations: Choosing Issues, Taking Sides, Benjamin Márquez examines how political identity is formed among Mexican American organizations, and why organizations that once represented a broad cross-section of the community — like LULAC and the American G.I. Forum — have declined in membership while newer, more targeted groups have grown. Drawing on interviews and archival research, Márquez compares four major organizations, including the Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), to show how race, class, and cultural factors shape distinct political identities and explain why each organization's goals resonate with some segments of the Mexican American community but not others.