Contact information:
Leo Chavez, UCI Professor, School of Social Sciences Departments of Anthropology and Chicano/Latino Studies Office SSBS Phone: (949) 824-4054 email:lchavez@uci.edu
HISTORY OF IMAGE COLLECTION
On October 17, 1994, the Nation ran the headline "The Immigration Wars" on its cover, accompanied by an illustration showing the western border of the United States with a multitude of people marching toward it. In the foreground, a snarling guard dog lunges at a man wearing a sombrero, right above the Statue of Liberty topped by an upside-down American flag. The magazine's coverage of emerging anti-immigrant sentiment shows how highly charged the images and texts on popular magazines covers can be. This provocative book gives a cultural history of the immigration issue in the U.S. since 1965, using popular magazine covers as a fascinating entry into a discussion of one of the most volatile debates in the nation. Leo Chavez gathers and analyzes cover images from such politically diverse magazines as Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Business Week, the New Republic, the Nation, and American Heritage. His analysis suggests that media images not only reflect the national mood but also play a powerful role in shaping national discourse. Drawing on insights from anthropology, sociology and cultural studies, this perceptive book deepens our understanding of a significant social issue and raises new questions about the media's influence over the American public's increasing fear of immigration.
Examples of magazine covers analyzed in the book:
IMAGE SELECTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION
