Due to Contú’s untimely death, The Sexuality of Migration is edited by Nancy A. Naples and Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, to which they’ve added both an introduction and a conclusion. The purpose of the latter is to tie the book to other, more recent treatments of queer migration and queer Hispanic issues.
The ethnographic data, the presentation of which constitute the core of the analysis, are drawn from late 1990s interviews carried out in Mexico and California. Contú locates his work in Queer Theory and uses a “queer materialist approach.” He explores the ways in which gay male Mexican immigration to the United States is influenced by sexuality, and also explores modes of incorporation, resistance to marginalization, shaping of sexual identity by social and migratory factors, and questions of gender identity and notions of masculinity.
Contú argues that sexuality is a major factor in the migratory decisions and in the ultimate manner of incorporation of gay male Mexican immigrants. He furthermore argues for a nuanced and social-historically determined understanding of identity and masculinity in
Mexican culture.
The Sexuality of Migration is excellent, despite the decade-old data, and should be a key part of the curricula in any sociology course on Mexican immigration. It is also an important text for queer studies courses, where sociological issues are raised. It is essential for academic libraries.
Reviewed by, David Woolwine, Ph.D, M.L.S.
Hofstra University Hempstead, New York
