4. Tortillas in the Shape of the United States: Marriage and the Families We Choose
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Date
2011
Authors
Vasquez-Tokos, Jessica
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
New York University Press
Abstract
Marriage is a central component of assimilation. Marriage patterns, in particular frequency of intermarriage, are a basic yardstick used to measure assimilation. Marriage has historically been understood as a way to preserve or alter the racial makeup of society. Antimiscegenation laws that banned interracial marriage and interracial sex were enforced until ruled unconstitutional in the 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. “Anti-miscegenation laws . . . were both a response to increased immigration from Asia [and Latin America] and a reflection of persistent concerns regarding racial purity and the nature of American citizenship” (Sohoni 2007: 587). While marriage patterns have been the subject of heated popular debate and legal battles, we know less about the role marriage plays in the subjective experience of race among the marital partners and their children, which is the subject of this chapter.
Description
34 pages. From the book "Mexican Americans Across Generations."
Keywords
marriage, intermarriage, social distance, Latino, Mexican-American