Reflexiones is an annual review of the work in progress of scholars affiliated with the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. It may also include outside works derived from center-sponsored presentations. Reflexiones 1998, the second volume in the series, invites us to view Mexican American identity in a new light.



In the rich interdisciplinary tradition of Mexican American studies, the contributors to Reflexiones 1998 come from a variety of fields. Martha Menchaca (anthropology) and Mauricio Tenorio and David Montejano (both in history) open with a three-part piece on the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Angela Valenzuela (sociology, Rice University) discusses the practice of cultural assimilation in our educational system. Americo Paredes (anthropology and English) offers a telling vignette of borderland life. Sheila Marie Contreras (English) considers the question of Mexican American ancestry in a study of a poem by Teresa Palomo Acosta. Lalo Alcaraz, the Los Angeles-based satirist, delivers a trenchant autobiographical cartoon story. James Nicolopulos (Spanish and Portuguese) delves into the corrido tradition and the effects of the advent of sound recording. Richard Flores (anthropology) explores the myth of the Alamo and the film Martyrs of the Alamo. And finally, Charles Ramirez Berg (radio, television, and film) examines Mexican American border documentaries.