This timely and important book introduces readers to the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States - Latinos - and their diverse conditions of departure and reception.
A central theme of the book is the tension between the fact that Latino categories are most often assigned from above, and how those defined as Latino seek to make sense of and enliven a shared notion of identity from below. Providing a sophisticated introduction to emerging theoretical trends and social formations specific to Latino immigrants, chapters are structured around the topics of Latinidad or the idea of a pan-ethnic Latino identity, pathways to citizenship, cultural citizenship, labor, gender, transnationalism, and globalization. Specific areas of focus include the 2006 marches of the immigrant rights movement and the rise in neoliberal nativism (including both state-sponsored restrictions such as Arizona’s SB1070 and the hate crimes associated with Minutemen vigilantism).
The book is a valuable contribution to immigration courses in sociology, history, ethnic studies, American Studies, and Latino Studies. It is one of the first, and certainly the most accessible, to fully take into account the plurality of experiences, identities, and national origins constituting the Latino category.
About the Author
Ronald L. Mize is Assistant Professor of Latino Studies at Cornell University
Grace Peña Delgado is Assistant Professor of History at The Pennsylvania State University
Features
A sophisticated yet accessible introduction to the experiences of Latino immigrant groups in the US - the largest minority group in the US
Covers topics such as the definition of the ‘Latino’ category, pathways to citizenship, gender, labour and transnationalism.
Includes interpretation of topical issues such as the immigrant rights movement, recent anti-immigration state legislation, and vigilante hate crime groups.
Relates diverse Latino experiences to core sociological themes and ideas in order to fully understand the impacts for both immigrants and the US
