Transnational Identities
Transnational identity is a common theme emergent from oral history interviews conducted by my students the past several years. The term "transnational" refers to the influence of multiple national identities and locations influencing a person, event, or historical phenomenon. The Migration Policy Institute summarized the idea well by noting that "Transnational migrants work, pray, and express their political interests in several contexts rather than a single nation-state."
Given the historical influence of migration as a determining factor in the history of the San Joaquin Valley, transnationalism has emerged as an appropriate term when exploring contemporary migration in the region. Migration patterns have always shaped cultural life within the region. Among recent migrant populations, migration across the U.S.-Mexico border has been especially influential. This includes also immigrants from Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua). In other parts of the state and national, transnational migration and identity varies even further.
Below are some sample student productions related to transnational migration themes in the San Joaquin Valley.
Oral Histories
Xochitl Santibanez Family Story
Courtesy Cassandra Garcia, Xochitl Santibanez; May 2020
Photo Collections
Courtesy Jaime Zubiate, May 2020
Explore Transnational Digital History Collections
The Bracero Program (1942-1964) was a significant contract labor system between the United States and Mexico. Initiated during World War II to help fill the labor shortage in the United States, the program proved popular after the war with large agribusiness industries who lobbied Congress to extend the life of the program for nearly two decades. California was the largest state to receive braceros. Literally meaning a man who works with his hands, braceros impacted the cultural life of California in complex ways. Many of my students, especially in rural communities like Delano, Shafter, Arvin, etc., are the descendants of braceros.
Explore transnational digital history by browsing Stanford University's "Bracero Letters 1943" collection.
When reviewing the collection, ask yourself, what family artifacts do I have within my own family or social network that might be of historical value in preserving the past?