Latinos and the New Immigrant Church (review)
As may already be apparent, the interpretive framework adopted in this book is premised upon the juxtaposition of a series of dichotomous terms. Tradition confronts the modern; the real contrasts with the ideal; and continuity and/or change characterize the shift from old to the new. Although Shumway never proposes a simple linear transition from one of these terms to the other (he is interested in both what changed and what remained the same), such a framework nevertheless limits the kinds of conclusions he is able to draw. Distinguishing between the "real" and the "ideal," for example, leads him to treat his sources—which include disensos, child custody cases, divorce proceedings as well as newspapers, paintings and other literature—as "windows" that present "better-than-fiction" stories about those whom he chooses to treat. Such sources, like perhaps most others, seem to offer a murkier and obscured glimpse of attitudes, beliefs and practices rather than the clear view of the open window posited by Shumway. What is clear, however, is that Shumway has taken great care not only in setting out and supporting his argument but also in crafting a highly readable and accessible book. The men and women—parents, children, friends and lovers—whose stories introduce each chapter, are more than narrative devices; they are the human faces through which the larger question of the relationship between family and nation in Argentina has been addressed.