 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Enrique Krauze provides some powerful criticisms of Samuel Huntington's claims about the influence of Mexican immigration on American cultural identity in the June 21 issue of TNR. Huntington argues in his recent book that there is a core American culture, and it is "Anglo-Protestant." Mexicans, Spanish-speaking and Catholic, threaten that core. But Krauze points out that Protestantism is burgeoning in Mexico: "Today Mexico is 90 percent Catholic, ubt if the trend continues the Catholic population will shrink to 75 percent in less than 30 years." Further, he claims that there is strong evidence that Mexicans are eager to learn English and function in American society. As for Huntington's claim that Mexicans have little interest in educational advance, Krauze attributes that primarily to the fact that Mexicans work in fields where skills and knowledge are acquired on the job rather than in school. And he wonders what the picture will look like a few generations down the road, when Mexicans who have settled in the US have the opportunity they now lack to send their children to college.
Perhaps Krauze's strongest point comes in his response to Huntington's claim that Mexicans lack a crucial feature of American culture, a Protestant work thic. He points to statistics that show Mexicans are willing to "do any kind of work anywhere" including hard work in agriculture, forestry, fishing, construction, manufacturing. Krauze's piece, on the whole, is a compelling rejoinder to conservative fears that Mexicans will overwhelm American civilization.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, June 19, 2004 at 02:55 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
