Books about Oaxacan from Amazon.com

Lynn Stephen’s innovative ethnography follows indigenous Mexicans from two towns in the state of Oaxaca—the Mixtec community of San Agustín Atenango and the Zapotec community of Teotitlán del Valle—who periodically leave their homes in Mexico for extended periods of work in California and Oregon. Demonstrating that the line separating Mexico and the United States is only one among the many borders that these migrants repeatedly cross (including national, regional, cultural, ethnic, and class borders and divisions), Stephen advocates an ethnographic framework focused on transborder, rather than transnational, lives. Yet she does not disregard the state: She assesses the impact migration has had on local systems of government in both Mexico and the United States as well as the abilities of states to police and affect transborder communities.

Stephen weaves the personal histories and narratives of indigenous transborder migrants together with explorations of the larger structures that affect their lives. Taking into account U.S. immigration policies and the demands of both commercial agriculture and the service sectors, she chronicles how migrants experience and remember low-wage work in agriculture, landscaping, and childcare and how gender relations in Oaxaca and the United States are reconfigured by migration. She looks at the ways that racial and ethnic hierarchies inherited from the colonial era—hierarchies that debase Mexico’s indigenous groups—are reproduced within heterogeneous Mexican populations in the United States. Stephen provides case studies of four grass-roots organizations in which Mixtec migrants are involved, and she considers specific uses of digital technology by transborder communities. Ultimately Stephen demonstrates that transborder migrants are reshaping notions of territory and politics by developing creative models of governance, education, and economic development as well as ways of maintaining their cultures and languages across geographic distances..
Price: $20.52 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This beautiful reference introduces contemporary Mexican folk art by featuring prominent artists from Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico. Their unique artworks are introduced and illustrated. Crafted from natural materials, their ceramics, weaving, woodcarving, embroidery, tin work, toys, jewelry, candles, dried flower crafts, basketry, and celebrations of Day of the Dead handicrafts incorporate unique blends of indigenous myths with ancient patterns from Zapotec ruins. These folk art traditions have been preserved for hundreds of years. This sampler features 87+ artists belonging to 45+ families, many useful maps, and over 500 color photographs of their distinctive works. A useful resource section includes a list of shops and markets of Oaxaca City and 12 of its surrounding pueblos, and a glossary identifies the frequently-used Mexican terms that apply to these folk arts. This will be a treasured source of reference and inspiration for all who love folk art..
Price: $25.05 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Increasingly prized by collectors worldwide, Oaxacan woodcarvings are among the most popular form of folk art available today. These fanciful, brightly colored figures created by rural Mexican woodcarvers reflect the myths and traditions still very much a part of the carvers' daily lives. A spectacular gallery of over 160 full-color photographs beautifully portrays these artisans and their work, while an informative text examines the intricacies of the carvers' craft. The only volume devoted exclusively to this distinctive and magical art form, Oaxacan Woodcarving will inspire and inform anyone with an interest in folk art, photography, or anthropology..
Price: $7.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"It is hard for me to praise this book sufficiently . . . It is a major contribution to the field of Oaxacan/Mexican studies, as well as economic anthropology and the study of tourism and crafts."

—Arthur Murphy, Georgia State University, coauthor of Social Inequality in Oaxaca: A History of Resistance and Change

Since the mid-1980s, whimsical, brightly colored wood carvings from the Mexican state of Oaxaca have found their way into gift shops and private homes across the United States and Europe, as Western consumers seek to connect with the authenticity and tradition represented by indigenous folk arts. Ironically, however, the Oaxacan wood carvings are not a traditional folk art. Invented in the mid-twentieth century by non-Indian Mexican artisans for the tourist market, their appeal flows as much from intercultural miscommunication as from their intrinsic artistic merit.

In this beautifully illustrated book, Michael Chibnik offers the first in-depth look at the international trade in Oaxacan wood carvings, including their history, production, marketing, and cultural representations. Drawing on interviews he conducted in the carving communities and among wholesalers, retailers, and consumers, he follows the entire production and consumption cycle, from the harvesting of copal wood to the final purchase of the finished piece. Along the way, he describes how and why this "invented tradition" has been promoted as a "Zapotec Indian" craft and explores its similarities with other local crafts with longer histories. He also fully discusses the effects on local communities of participating in the global market, concluding that the trade in Oaxacan wood carvings is an almost paradigmatic case study of globalization.

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Price: $20.65 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Prized by collectors worldwide, Oaxacan crafts are among the most popular forms of folk art today. This celebration of Mexican ceramics combines a gallery of more than one hundred stunning photographs with an insightful text that illuminates the artistry and the artists--all of whom are women. The fanciful, brightly colored works spring from the rich imaginations of rural women drawing on enduring religion, mythology, and thmes from the their everyday lives. Oaxacan Ceramics tells the remarkable story of six of the most renowned artisans who live and work in villages near the city of Oaxaca. Their exuberant, whimisical creations range from the fantastic to the religious, including mermaids, angels, Zapotec creatures, figures of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, vases, candle holders, and decorative plates-all finely crafted and distinctly colored. Oaxacan Ceramics paints and extraordinary portrait of a vibrant culture and its art..
Price: $7.58 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This digital document is an article from Journal of the Southwest, published by University of Arizona on December 22, 2001. The length of the article is 907 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Oaxacan enclaves in Los Angeles: a photo essay.
Author: Devra Weber
Publication:Journal of the Southwest (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2001
Publisher: University of Arizona
Volume: 43 Issue: 4 Page: 729(17)

Distributed by Thomson Gale.
Price: $5.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This digital document is an article from Actual, published by Editorial Contenido, S.A. de C.V. on February 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1172 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Sergio Hernández en su santuario oaxaqueño. (pintor mexicano)(TT: Sergio Hernández in his Oaxacan sanctuary) (TA: Mexican painter)
Author: Sonya VAlencia
Publication:Actual (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 1998
Publisher: Editorial Contenido, S.A. de C.V.
Volume: v5 Issue: n53 Page: p34(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale.
Price: $5.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]