Anthropology

Gloria Holguín Cuádraz

Associate Professor, Arizona State University 

Mexican Americans and the Making of Community in Litchfield Park, 1916-1986: Oral Histories from the Goodyear Farms Camps 

206 Ingraham Hall –

UW-Madison campus

Friday, October 17

4-5:30 pm

Dr. Cuádraz’s talk is based on oral histories of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants that worked for Goodyear Farms and lived in “los campos” of Litchfield Park, Arizona (1916-1986). This project documents the history of Mexican American agricultural workers and their families, chronicling the development of the camp communities, while capturing the memories and places special to the former residents of the Goodyear Farms camps. Based on more than more than 45 oral histories and hours of video documentation, this lecture will provide both substantive information about the lives of Mexican Americans as well as several methodological practices.  Its interdisciplinary approach will be of interest to scholars of culture, history, and Mexican American lives. It will also appeal to community based researchers who are interested in establishing university-community projects and the different types of projects that can be produced from these collaborations. It will provide a comparative look at Mexican Americans in another part of the United States. As the Latino population grows in Wisconsin, this will serve to provide an understanding of the historical incorporation of Mexican Americans in U.S. history.