Perspectives On Latinos

Moving beyond the traditional study of Hispanic literature on a nation-by-nation basis, this volume explores how globalization affects Spanish and Latin American fiction, poetry, and literary theory. Featuring contributions of scholars from the United States, Latin America, and Europe to demonstrate how Hispanic literature transcends the nation-state, the essays cross national and cultural boundaries. They draw from a range of fields, including postcolonial, Latino, gender, exile, and transatlantic studies, characterizing a new "world literature" that reflects changing understandings of memory, belonging, and identity. In this innovative collection, contributors examine works by Jose Marti, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jorge Luis Borges, Wifredo Lam, and others. They propose that the Spanish language itself is postnational--a cosmopolitan mixture of Iberian regionalisms and indigenous American languages, its heterogeneity allowing speakers to connect across nationalities. They analyze the increasingly popular character of the voluntary exile who neither seeks to recover a lost identity nor assimilate into new environments but instead creates bonds that are not based on national origins. They survey the various explorations of masculinity in Junot Diaz's This Is How You Lose Her and Juan Francisco Ferre's Karnaval. They probe the multilingual nature of the Spanish language itself in Cecilia Vicuna's poetry, which addresses readers in Spanish, English, and Quechua and identifies a common root. This volume shows how contemporary Hispanic writers and critics are engaging in cross-cultural literary conversations and how expanding worldviews have impacted the way these authors write and how they are read today. Contributors: Heike Scharm | Natalia Matta Jara | Nil Santiáñez | Julio Ortega | Ottmar Ette | Silvia Goldman | Ricardo F. Vivancos-Pérez | Francisco Brignole | Bernat Castany Prado | Francisco Fernández de Alba | Maarten Steenmeijer

Significant changes in New York City's Latino community have occurred since the first edition of Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition was published in 1996. The Latino population in metropolitan New York has increased from 1.7 million in the 1990s to over 2.4 million, constituting a third of the population spread over five boroughs. Puerto Ricans remain the largest subgroup, followed by Dominicans and Mexicans; however, Puerto Ricans are no longer the majority of New York's Latinos as they were throughout most of the twentieth century. Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition, second edition, is the most comprehensive reader available on the experience of New York City's diverse Latino population. The essays in Part I examine the historical and sociocultural context of Latinos in New York. Part II looks at the diversity comprising Latino New York. Contributors focus on specific national origin groups, including Ecuadorians, Colombians, and Central Americans, and examine the factors that prompted emigration from the country of origin, the socioeconomic status of the emigrants, the extent of transnational ties with the home country, and the immigrants' interaction with other Latino groups in New York. Essays in Part III focus on politics and policy issues affecting New York's Latinos. The book brings together leading social analysts and community advocates on the Latino experience to address issues that have been largely neglected in the literature on New York City. These include the role of race, culture and identity, health, the criminal justice system, the media, and higher education, subjects that require greater attention both from academic as well as policy perspectives. Contributors: Sherrie Baver, Juan Cartagena, Javier Castaño, Ana María Díaz-Stevens, Angelo Falcón, Juan Flores, Gabriel Haslip-Viera, Ramona Hernández, Luz Yadira Herrera, Gilbert Marzán, Ed Morales, Pedro A. Noguera, Rosalía Reyes, Clara E. Rodríguez, José Ramón Sánchez, Walker Simon, Robert Courtney Smith, Andrés Torres, and Silvio Torres-Saillant.

This book fosters a deeper understanding of the growing Latino elderly population and the implications on society. It examines post-WWII demographic and social changes and summarizes research from sociology, psychology, economics, and public health to shed light on the economic, physical, and mental well-being of older Latinos. The political and cultural implications including possible policy changes are also considered. Written in an engaging style, each chapter opens with a vignette that puts a human face on the issues. Boxed exhibits highlight social programs and policies and physical and mental health challenges that impact Latino elders. Web alerts direct readers to sites that feature more detailed information related to the chapter’s issues. Each chapter also features an introduction, examples, tables, figures, a summary, and discussion questions. The self-contained chapters can be presented in any order. Latinos in an Aging World explores: Real world problems individuals face in dealing with poverty, immigration, and health and retirement decisions The latest data on Latinos as compared to research on African- and Asian- Americans where appropriate The unique historical, demographic, social, familial, and economic situations of various Latino subgroups including those from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba How ethnicity affects one’s position of wealth and power and sense of citizenship. The consequence of life-long disadvantages and stigmatization on economic, physical, and mental well-being The impact of one’s neighborhood and the proximity to those from similar cultures on quality of life. The introduction motivates the book and sets the stage for the entire discussion. Chapter 1 reviews the histories of the major Hispanic subgroups along with various theories as they relate to race, ethnicity, and gender that provide a conceptual framework for understanding the later chapters. Demographic, economic, and social profiles of the various Hispanic subgroups are explored in chapter 2. Next the Latino population is explored from various perspectives including the economic and social situations of men and women and their educational, marital and family, and labor force experiences. Chapter 4 examines older immigrants and their families and identifies the resources available to them in their communities that often replicate the cultural and social support system of the old country. Major health risks that older Latinos face as a result of the disadvantages they experience throughout life are examined in chapter 5. Family situations and long-term care and living arrangements of older Hispanics are examined in chapter 6. The impact of neighborhood on quality of life in terms of safety and physical and mental wellbeing is explored in chapter 7. The burden that eldercare can place upon those who bear the responsibility of their daily care is explored in chapter 8. Chapter 9 investigates the gaps in income between minority and non-Hispanic white Americans and reviews what individuals with few resources need to know about financial management. The book concludes with the social, political, and economic implications of the growing Hispanic population and the role of NGOs and other organizations in providing services to older populations. Intended for courses on Latinos and aging, diversity, race and ethnicity, minorities and aging, adult development and aging, the psychology or sociology or politics of aging, geriatric social work, public health and aging, global aging, social or family policy, and health and society taught in the behavioral and social sciences, ethnic, or Latin American/Chicano Studies, this book also appeals to researchers and practitioners who work with Hispanic families.

This volume provides a superb introduction to the philosophical, social, and political elements of Hispanic/Latino identity. It is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in issues that concern Hispanics/Latinos, social policy, and the history of thought and culture.

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

As members of the fastest-growing demographic group in America, Latinos are increasingly represented in the professional class, but they continue to face significant racism. Everyday Injustice introduces readers to the challenges facing Latino professionals today. Despite considerable success in overcoming educational, economic, and class barriers, Latino professionals still experience marginalization. Everyday Injustice is a powerful illustration of racism and inequality in America.

Feagin and Cobas provide the first in-depth examination of the everyday racism faced by middle-class Latinos. Based on a national survey, we learn how a diverse group of talented Latinos Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Cuban Americans, and others respond to and cope with the commonplace white racial framing and discriminatory practices. Drawing on extensive interviewing, the authors address the recurring discrimination of ordinary whites directed against Spanish speakers and individuals with presumed Latino phenotypes. These incidents occur in everyday encounters, such as when male and female Latinos travel or shop. The book also chronicles the mistreatment that Latinos face from immigration officials when they cross US borders and from the police when they are racially profiled outside Latino areas. Critical and conforming Latino responses to recurring white discrimination are also extensively examined, as well as the diverse Latino reactions to remedial programs like affirmative action and to the ideal of assimilation into the proverbial US melting pot. "

A much-needed and thought-provoking examination of a significant and growing population within the United States, Latino/a Rights and Justice in the United States explores the inequalities and injustices that Latino/a communities confront in the United States. Author José Luis Morín provides a deeper understanding of the historical and contemporary Latino/a experience of discrimination and economic and social injustice and presents insights into the elusiveness of equality and fairness for Latinos/as in the United States. Offering ideas on how to reduce bias and other inequities within the justice system and the greater society, Morín calls for alternative approaches to working with Latino/a youths and families and a broadening of existing concepts of rights and justice in the United States. Drawing the link between the international and domestic dimensions of the Latino/a presence in the United States, Morín incorporates international human rights norms and principles of economic, social, and cultural rights to address the persistent inequalities and injustices that Latino/a communities confront in the United States. The second edition provides new and expanded coverage about racial and ethnic bias in law enforcement and the criminal justice system, citizenship rights, immigration and crime, Latinos/as and U.S. prisons, the contemporary street gang phenomenon, and Latinos/as in the post-9/11 era. Meticulous in presenting facts and research, Latino/a Rights and Justice in the United States often challenges conventional ideas and popular myths about Latinos/as on these and other topics.