A Mexican State of Mind: New York City and the New Borderlands of Culture explores the cultural and creative lives of the largely young undocumented Mexican population in New York City since September 11, 2001. Inspired by a dialogue between the landmark works of Paul Gilroy and Gloria Anzaldúa, it develops a new analytic framework, the Atlantic Borderlands, which bridges Mexican diasporic experiences in New York City and the black diaspora, not as a comparison but in recognition that colonialism, interracial and interethnic contact through trade, migration, and slavery are connected via capitalist economies and technological developments. This book is based on ten years of fieldwork in  New York City, with members of  a vibrant community of young Mexican migrants who coexist and interact with people from all over the world. It focuses on youth culture including hip hop, graffiti, muralism, labor activism, arts entrepreneurship and collective making.
 

MELISSA CASTILLO PLANAS is an assistant professor of English at Lehman College. She is editor of the anthology, ¡Manteca!: An Anthology of Afro-Latin@ Poets and co-editor of La Verdad: An International Dialogue on Hip Hop Latinidades. 

— José Higuera López, Deputy Director, Mexican Studies Institute at The City University of New York

— Mark Naison, author of Communists in Harlem During the Depression, White Boy: A Memoir and Before the Fires

— Gotham Center Blog

— SUM

— Arlene Dávila, author of Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos and the Neoliberal City