Making Ethnic Choices

Karen Isaksen Leonard is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine.

"[A] thoroughly original study that greatly expands our knowledge of how ethnic identities are formed. Leonard writes clearly and her inclusion of the voices of the Punjabi-Mexicans lends humor and depth to the history. This insightful study will be of interest to all scholars concerned with immigration and ethnicity and the history of California."-The Journal of Asian Studies "This is an extraordinary work. It is simultaneously an ethnography of early South Asian immigrant life in California, a model of fine-grained historical research using all manner of documents to reconstruct and interpret the migration flows, social structure, and family cycles of Punjabi men and their Mexican spouses, and a sophisticated examination of the complex role of 'identity' in their perceptions of themselves and their descendants.... In the midst of contemporary discussions about multi-culturalism, politically correctly positions, and valuing diversity, this book would be a fine place to begin a thoughtful consideration of the potential multiplicity of meanings ethnicity may have for human begins."-Journal of American Ethnic History"No other book has the scope or the vision of Karen Leonard's work. I expect this book to be consulted as a model of historical research for many years to come."-James Freeman, San Jose State University

• Preface Part I: Introduction 1. Exploring Ethnicity Part II: The World of the Pioneers 2. Contexts: California and the Punjab 3. Early Days in the Imperial Valley 4. Marriages and Children 5. Male and Female Networks 6. Conflict and Love in the Marriages Part III: The Construction of Ethnic Identity 7. Childhood in Rural California 8. The Second Generation Comes of Age 9. Political Change and Ethnic Identity 10. Encounters with the Other 11. Contending Voices Appendixes Notes Bibliography Index