Date of Award

2016-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

History

Advisor(s)

Ernesto Chávez

Abstract

This Dissertation is a biography of Manuel Gregorio Acosta, an iconic Mexican American painter in the twentieth-century U.S.-Mexico borderlands. By gathering oral histories and examining Acosta's art, my study emphasizes his importance to the cultural changes of El Paso in the post WWII era. Acosta's biography yields a salient story about Mexican life in the U.S. Southwest and how Chicano/as contributed to American society. By exploring Acosta's expression of identity and tying his life to the broader border community that he represented, this study seeks to link his individual narrative with a more general comprehension of race, class, and sexuality. Art provided Acosta the agency to navigate the complex world of multiple marginalities addressed in this biography.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

191 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Susannah Aquilina

Included in

History Commons

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