Alfredo Mirandé is a

Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...

sociologist and attorney with a focus on

ethnic studies Ethnic studies, in the United States, is the interdisciplinary study of difference—chiefly race, ethnicity, and nation, but also sexuality, gender, and other such markings—and power, as expressed by the state, by civil society, and by indivi ...

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

, and law. He is noted for his theory on gringo justice. A Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Ethnic Studies at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...

, he was a National Research Council Fellow, a

Rockefeller Fellow The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller ("Seni ...

, and was inducted into the

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

Hall of Fame. He is most notably credited for inspiring the development of a

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

sociology that is oriented from a Chicano worldview, rather than from an Anglo worldview of Mexican Americans. This included critiquing the notion that "most of the problems encountered by Chicanos were the result of deficiencies in their own culture and family system." Mirandé earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

from Illinois State University, as well as both his

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

and Ph.D. in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

. He then earned his J.D. from

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (SLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law had an acceptance rate of 6.28% i ...

. Mirandé taught at the

Texas Tech University School of Law The Texas Tech University School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The school offers three academic centers, ten dual-degree programs, a nationally ...

before becoming a distinguished professor at the University of California, Riverside. His book ''Behind the Mask: Gender Hybridity in Zapotec Community'' (2017) was a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

finalist in

LGBTQ studies Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBTQ studies is the study of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender dysphoric, asexual, aromantic, queer, questioni ...

. The book deconstructs ideas that Mexico is a land of

machismo Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1940s and 1950s and its use more wi ...

through the figure of the ''

muxe In Juchitán de Zaragoza, a Zapotec culture of Oaxaca (southeastern Mexico), a muxe (also spelled muxhe; ) is a person assigned male at birth who adopts aspects of feminine gender roles, including dress, behavior, and social standing. The ex ...

'' and ''mayate'', the latter of whom is a man who forms a relationship with a muxe. He revealed how in

Juchitán de Zaragoza Juchitán de Zaragoza (; Spanish name; Isthmus Zapotec: ''Xabizende'' ) is an indigenous town in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. With a 2020 cens ...

, that ''muxes'' are more accepted than ''mayates'' because of the stigma attached to their relationship with ''muxes''. He also covered

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

distinctions between identifying, as

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

versus identifying as ''muxe'', with the former being associated with middle- to upper-class areas and the latter being associated with lower-class neighborhoods that have retained a relationship to Zapotec culture rather than aspiring to assimilate into

Western culture Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the Cultural heritage, internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompas ...

Personal life

He was born in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and was raised in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Publications

* ''The Age of Crisis'' (1975) * ''La Chicana: The Mexican American Woman,'' co-authored with Evangelina Enríquez (1979) * ''The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective'' (1985) * '' Gringo Justice'' (1987) * ''Hombres y Machos: Masculinity and Latino Culture'' (1997) * ''The Stanford Law Chronicles: ‘Doin’ Time on the Farm’'' (2005) * ''Rascuache Lawyer: Toward a Theory of Ordinary Litigation'' (2011) * ''Jalos USA: Transnational Community and Identity'' (2014) * ''Behind the Mask: Gender Hybridity in Zapotec Community'' (2017) * ''Gringo Injustice: Insider Perspectives on Police, Gangs, and Law'' (2020) * ''The Chicano Experience: An Alternative Perspective'' (2022), 2nd edition

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirande, Alfredo Living people Mexican academics Activists for Hispanic and Latino American civil rights American civil rights activists Illinois State University alumni University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Stanford Law School alumni Texas Tech University faculty University of California, Riverside faculty Social scientists from Mexico City Lawyers from Mexico City Academics from Chicago Mexican emigrants to the United States Year of birth missing (living people)