Alfredo Mirandé’s foundational 1985 book analyzing the Chicano experience in the United States has been revised.
On September 7, University of Notre Dame Press announced the release of a second edition of “The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective,” a text that offers fundamental sociological perspectives of the lives of the largest minority group in the United States. This edition provides a new interpretation of social, cultural, and economic drivers that shape Chicano/Latino lives today.
“I wanted to write a book about Chicanos from the perspective and lived experience of a Chicano,” said Mirandé, a UC Riverside distinguished professor of sociology and ethnic studies, who spent the last five years researching and updating data for this second volume. “Thirty-seven years later, here is the updated version.”
University of Notre Dame Press published the second edition this month to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month. Mirandé, who is on sabbatical fall quarter, will be teaching from this revised edition in winter quarter.
“Although its original context differs markedly from the current demographic landscape, it remains no less relevant today — Latinos have emerged as the largest minority population in the United States,” University of Notre Dame Press officials wrote in a news release. “With updated chapters revised in light of contemporary scholarship, this second edition speaks to the Chicano of today, in addition to puertorriqueños, Central Americans, and other groups who share common experiences of colonization, racialization, and, especially in the last decade, demonization.”
Mirandé, who has been teaching at UCR since 1974, is the author of 11 books, including “Gringo Justice” (1994), “The Stanford Law Chronicles” (2005), and “Jalos, USA” (2014), all published by the University of Notre Dame Press. He is currently working on his 12th book, to be published by The University of Arizona Press in 2023.
Praise for “The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective”
“Alfredo Mirandé’s ‘The Chicano Experience’ is the 1985 landmark study devoted to the creation of Chicano sociology. The updated version will shape the dialogue for future generations.” —Robert J. Durán, author of “The Gang Paradox”
“‘The Chicano Experience’ is a strident call for a complete revamping of all social science methodology in the field of Chicano politics.” —Benjamin Márquez, author of “The Politics of Patronage”
“Filled with the latest research and current theorizing on racialization, the new edition of ‘The Chicano Experience’ rises to the top rank of books about Chicanos and other Latinos in the twenty-first century.” —Maxine Baca Zinn, co-author of “Diversity in Families”
