The Last Best Place?: Gender, Family, and Migration in the New West

Synopsis

Though Mexican Migrants Have Worked On Montana's Ranches And Farms Since The 1920s, Increasing Numbers Of Migrant Families--both Documented And Undocumented--are Moving To The Area To Support Its Growing Construction And Service Sectors. The Last Best Place? Asks Us To Consider The Multiple Racial And Class-related Barriers That Mexican Migrants Must Negotiate In The Unique Context Of Montana's Rural Gentrification. These Daily Life Struggles And Inter-group Power Dynamics Are Deftly Examined Through Extensive Interviews And Ethnography, As Are The Ways Gender Structures Inequalities Within Migrant Families And Communities. But Leah Schmalzbauer's Research Extends Even Farther To Highlight The Power Of Place And Demonstrate How Montana's Geography And Rurality Intersect With Race, Class, Gender, Family, Illegality, And Transnationalism To Affect Migrants' Well-being And Aspirations. Situating Gender And Migration In The New West -- Economic Opportunities And Gender Divisions Of Labor -- Illegality, Rurality And Daily Life -- Transnationalism, Belonging And The Rural Idyll -- Doing Gender : The Impact Of Economic Crisis On Household Dynamics -- Through The Eyes Of The Second Generation -- Hope And Opportunity In The New West -- The Last Best Place? Leah Schmalzbauer. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 185-197) And Index.