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lunges at a man wearing a sombrero, right above the Statue of Liberty topped
by an upside-down American flag. The magazine's coverage of emerging
anti-immigrant sentiment shows how highly charged the images and texts
on popular magazines covers can be. This provocative book gives a
cultural history of the immigration issue in the U.S. since 1965, using
popular magazine covers as a fascinating entry into a discussion of one
of the most volatile debates in the nation.
Leo Chavez gathers and analyzes cover images from such politically diverse
magazines as Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Business Week,
the New Republic, the Nation, and American Heritage. His analysis
suggests that media images not only reflect the national mood but also
play a powerful role in shaping national discourse. Drawing on insights
from anthropology, sociology and cultural studies, this perceptive book
deepens our understanding of a significant social issue and raises new
questions about the media's influence over the American public's increasing
fear of immigration.
Examples of magazine covers analyzed in the book:
