Americo Paredes (1915-99) is one of the seminal figures in Mexican American studies. With this first book-length biography of Paredes, author Jose R. Lopez Morin offers fresh insight into the life and work of this influential scholar, as well as the close relationship between his experience and his thought.
Morin shows how Mexican literary traditions--particularly the performance contexts of oral "literature"--shaped Paredes's understanding of his people and his critique of Anglo scholars' portrayal of Mexican American history, character, and cultural expressions.
Although he surveys...

Americo Paredes (1915-99) is one of the seminal figures in Mexican American studies. With this first book-length biography of Paredes, author Jose R. Lopez Morin offers fresh insight into the life and work of this influential scholar, as well as the close relationship between his experience and his thought.
Morin shows how Mexican literary traditions--particularly the performance contexts of oral "literature"--shaped Paredes's understanding of his people and his critique of Anglo scholars' portrayal of Mexican American history, character, and cultural expressions.
Although he surveys...