The Power of the Zoot

Youth Culture and Resistance during World War II

By: Luis Alvarez

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Paperback | 22 September 2009 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
336 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.28 x 1.61 x 0.2

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Flamboyant zoot suit culture, with its ties to fashion, jazz and swing music, jitterbug and Lindy Hop dancing, unique patterns of speech, and even risqu© experimentation with gender and sexuality, captivated the country's youth in the 1940s. The Power of the Zoot is the first book to give national consideration to this famous phenomenon. Providing a new history of youth culture based on rare, in-depth interviews with former zoot-suiters, Luis Alvarez explores race, region, and the politics of culture in urban America during World War II. He argues that Mexican American and African American youths, along with many nisei and white youths, used popular culture to oppose accepted modes of youthful behavior, the dominance of white middle-class norms, and expectations from within their own communities.

Industry Reviews

"Diligently charts a culture's exemplar, the zoot suit, and connects it to modern fashion and music ... It is a compelling window into the U.S. in the war years as seen from a much different point of view." The Morning News "Deserves much credit for analyzing youth fashion during the era of swing jazz as a national phenomenon ." The Journal Of American History "Colorful, entertaining, and frequently enlightening... Alvarez leaves us asking for more." New Mexico Historical Review "[Alvarez's] scholarship is now the best and most comprehensive book on Zoot Suit culture, society, and race conflict during World War II." H-Urban "The work is admirable wide and deep." Journal Of World History "[A] fascinating work of scholarship." Left History "A solid contribution to the field." Winterthur Portfolio: Journal Of American Material Culture

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History History of the Americas Society & Culture Cultural Studies Popular Culture Social Groups Age Groups Age Groups for Adolescents General & World History Sociology & Anthropology

Anthropology Social & Cultural Anthropology, Ethnography Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments and Dedicatoin	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Dignity Denied: Youth in the Early War Years
Race and Political Economy	p. 15
Class Politics and Juvenile Delinquency	p. 42
The Struggle for Dignity: Zoot Style during World War II
Zoot Style and Body Politics	p. 77
Zoots, Jazz, and Public Space	p. 113
Violence and National Belongings on the Home Front
Zoot Violence in Los Angeles	p. 155
Race Riots across the United States Epilogue: From Zoot Suits to Hip-Hpo	p. 235
Notes	p. 245
Bibliography	p. 289
Index	p. 305
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

The Power of the Zoot

Youth Culture and Resistance during World War II

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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