After nearly a quarter-century in print, we propose a roundtable on Harvest of Empire, the most widely used book in the field of Latino history, to reflect on the significance and legacy of Juan González’s book. Our roundtable will bring together historians from across the country; each will discuss the book’s significance in their classrooms. We will then hear from González, who will share insights from his time researching and writing the book and note the responses he’s received about the book.

Harvest of Empire was originally published in 2000, on the heels of a Latino immigration wave that in the 1980s and 1990s surpassed previous waves of European immigration during the early part of the twentieth century. In the 1980s alone, Latinos grew over seven times as fast as the rest of the nation. González brought multiple histories together and showed how Latina/o immigration to the U.S. is the direct result of the troubled economic and colonial history of the U.S. in Latin America.

While books on Latina/os in the U.S. did get some circulation prior—Earl Shorris’ Latinos: A Biography of the People, comes to mind—Harvest of Empire made a splash in a different way. Not only was González a recognized and respected journalist in New York City, he was also someone that was intimately involved in movements for Latino civil rights, most notably for the Puerto Rican community in New York City. This was a book published by a Latino journalist and activist that took seriously the links between colonialism, immigration, and racial formation. Harvest of Empire was written in a narrative style accessible to general audiences, and over nearly 25 years it has been used by a broad range of educators, from university faculty to community activists. Few Latina/o history books have made such an important impact both in and outside the classroom.

In the present, amidst viral anti-immigrant and anti-Latino sentiment, Harvest of Empire is today more important than ever (and indeed was just published in a new edition). Our participants will discuss how students react to the book in classrooms from Arizona to Missouri to New York City. Felipe Hinojosa (Professor of History, Texas A&M University), will serve as chair for the roundtable, which will consist of Rudy Guevarra, Jr. (Associate Professor of History, Arizona State University), Sandra Enriquez (Assistant Professor of History, University of Missouri, Kansas City), Lorrin Thomas (Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University, Camden), Llana Barber (Associate Professor, American Studies, SUNY Old Westbury), and González himself.