"During the past three decades there have been many studies of transnational migration. Most scholarship has focused on one side of the border, one area of labor incorporation, one generation of migrants, and one gender. Manuel Barajas presents the first cross-national, comparative study to examine an indigenous Mexican community's experience with international migration and transnationalism. He presents an extended case study of the Xaripu community, with home bases in both Xaripu, Michoacan, and Stockton, California. He elaborates how various forms of colonialism, institutional biases, and emergent forms of domination have shaped Xaripu labor migration, community formation, and family experiences across the Mexican/U.S. border for over a century. Of special interest are Barajas's formal and informal interviews within the community, his examination of oral histories, and his participation observation in several locations."--BOOK JACKET.