Status
Available
Genres
Publication
NYU Press (2006), 251 pages
Description
Latinas are now the largest minority group of girls in the country. Yet the research about this group is sparse, and there is a lack of information to guide studies, services or education for the rapidly growing Latino population across the U.S. The existing research has focused on stereotypical perceptions of Latinas as frequently dropping out of school, becoming teen mothers, or being involved with boyfriends in gangs. Latina Girls brings together cutting edge research that challenges these stereotypes. At the same time, the volume offers solid data and suggestions for practical intervention for those who study and work to support this population. It highlights the challenges these young women face, as well as the ways in which they successfully negotiate those challenges. The volume includes research on Latinas and their relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners; academics; career goals; identity; lifelong satisfaction; and the ways in which they navigate across cultures and gender roles. Latina Girls is the first book to pull together research on the overall strengths and strategies that characterize Latina adolescents' lives in the U.S. It will be of key interest and practical use to those who study and work with Latina youth.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member MissTrudy
Jill Denner and Bianca L. Guzman (Eds.) Latina Girls: Voices of Adolescent Strength in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 2006: ISBN: 0-8147-1977-5, $22.00 paper.
Most of the existing social science research on disadvantaged communities is based on identifying pathologies and on
The book is divided into four sections: (1) negotiating family relationships, (2) overcoming institutional barriers, (3) accessing institutional support, and (4) developing initiative. Mainly addressed to academics, researchers and social scientists, the book is also meant to engage teachers and community activists working with Latino populations.
Examining the lives of Latinas, from their personal relationships to their academic and career goals, as well as the ways in which they negotiate gender roles and cultural expectations, the book focuses on the challenges facing Latina adolescents and how such challenges are dealt with. In doing so, featured authors often open spaces for young Latinas to voice their concerns, aspirations and feelings, debunking the stereotypes that, even within the social sciences, often represents them as pathological and/or lacking in agency. Young Latina voices come through spaces between family and society, such as the mothers and daughters in Jennifer Ayala’s “Confianza, consejos and contradictions,” and high school girls in Melissa Hyam’s “La Escuela” and Nancy Lopez’s “Resistance to Race and Gender Oppression: Dominican High School Girls in New York City”
The first two sections lay the personal and institutional groundwork. Although it is clear that the authors care passionately about their subjects, the theoretical framework underpinning the book is serious and cutting edge the research methodology is often radical and exploratory and yet, substantially solid. Melissa Hyams, for example, states that “teenage pregnancy is more often the result, not the cause, of academic failure” (106). Deborah Marlino and Fiona Wilson explain that despite different results in written surveys, Latinas often give the highest career ratings to “entrepreneurship” in personal interviews because business ownership is viewed as compatible with having a children and family, as well as a way to actively contribute to their communities (131). Thus, the career and educational aspirations of Latinas are not only culturally-rooted, but may become viable goals given adequate emotional support, academic guidance and access to resources.
The last two sections are particularly useful as they provide examples of interconnections between theory and praxis by presenting the reader, for example, with programs that provide access to health and technology. Having stated that one of the greatest challenges facing Latinas is difficulty in accessing institutional help and resources, these sections highlight the importance of access to technology and health. The authors explore ways in which Latinas use and consume technology, the policy and cultural implications of providing adequate healthcare to disadvantaged young women and the ways in which researchers, teachers, community workers, and family members may contribute to their success. In “Getting Connected” Robert A. Farlie and Rebecca London’s provide a plethora of quantitative and qualitative information on the growing consumption of technology among Latina adolescents which might prove of great utility to educators. Xae Alicia Reyes, author of “Cien Porciento Puertorriquena,” addresses the often ignored issue of negative media-influenced perceptions of Latina adolescents among educators, calling for transformative classroom dialogues in the Freirian mode. Essays such as Yvette Flores’s “La Salud. Latina Adolescents Constructing Identities Negotiating Health Decisions” and Stephen T. Russell and Faye T.H. Lee’s “Latina Adolescent Motherhood: A Turning Point?” explore the intersections of gender, health, culture and public policy, opening doors to Latina adolescent subjectivities and empowerment strategies.
It is not always clear that the quantitative data supports the assertions, specifically in areas that examine such subjectively-based experiences as feelings of well being, as in Charu Takral and Elizabeth Vera’s essay, “La Felicidad,” an essay based on new perspectives called “positive psychology” and “subjective well-being” (p. 188). As the authors acknowledge, serious difficulties arise in measuring emotions such as hope and optimism, as well as measuring the real impact that social desirability may have in adolescent behavior. The authors argue, as well, for the incorporation--in educational and social work settings--of strategies that help Latina adolescents cope with difficult emotions. Though calling for strategies that focus on increasing emotional competence in adolescents overall is a worthwhile idea, it is not clear to the reader how such strategies should be incorporated solely or specifically for Latina girls. Resilience may be better cultivated by a more realistic look at the world and at strategies for adaptation and development, rather than focusing on strategies that look only at affirmation and well being. The authors of this chapter, however, do challenge the notion that, on dealing with underrepresented groups, social scientists and educators often focus only on possible pathologies, rather than a more holistic view which includes positive traits in Latina adolescents. Notwithstanding, Denner and Guzman offer a compilation that provides a wealth of practical examples for academics, researchers, and community members, breaking down dysfunctional stereotypes and opening doors to new visions.
Most of the existing social science research on disadvantaged communities is based on identifying pathologies and on
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the amelioration or solution of these deficiencies. The purpose of this edited volume is to challenge the prevailing stereotypes of Latina adolescents, the largest minority group in the United States. The authors target stereotypes that position Latina adolescents as uneducated, teen mothers, and/or promiscuous. Not surprisingly, such pessimistic representations inspire negative responses among communities at large, particularly among Latina adolescents. The editor’s approach, then, strives to present to the reader a more comprehensive picture.The book is divided into four sections: (1) negotiating family relationships, (2) overcoming institutional barriers, (3) accessing institutional support, and (4) developing initiative. Mainly addressed to academics, researchers and social scientists, the book is also meant to engage teachers and community activists working with Latino populations.
Examining the lives of Latinas, from their personal relationships to their academic and career goals, as well as the ways in which they negotiate gender roles and cultural expectations, the book focuses on the challenges facing Latina adolescents and how such challenges are dealt with. In doing so, featured authors often open spaces for young Latinas to voice their concerns, aspirations and feelings, debunking the stereotypes that, even within the social sciences, often represents them as pathological and/or lacking in agency. Young Latina voices come through spaces between family and society, such as the mothers and daughters in Jennifer Ayala’s “Confianza, consejos and contradictions,” and high school girls in Melissa Hyam’s “La Escuela” and Nancy Lopez’s “Resistance to Race and Gender Oppression: Dominican High School Girls in New York City”
The first two sections lay the personal and institutional groundwork. Although it is clear that the authors care passionately about their subjects, the theoretical framework underpinning the book is serious and cutting edge the research methodology is often radical and exploratory and yet, substantially solid. Melissa Hyams, for example, states that “teenage pregnancy is more often the result, not the cause, of academic failure” (106). Deborah Marlino and Fiona Wilson explain that despite different results in written surveys, Latinas often give the highest career ratings to “entrepreneurship” in personal interviews because business ownership is viewed as compatible with having a children and family, as well as a way to actively contribute to their communities (131). Thus, the career and educational aspirations of Latinas are not only culturally-rooted, but may become viable goals given adequate emotional support, academic guidance and access to resources.
The last two sections are particularly useful as they provide examples of interconnections between theory and praxis by presenting the reader, for example, with programs that provide access to health and technology. Having stated that one of the greatest challenges facing Latinas is difficulty in accessing institutional help and resources, these sections highlight the importance of access to technology and health. The authors explore ways in which Latinas use and consume technology, the policy and cultural implications of providing adequate healthcare to disadvantaged young women and the ways in which researchers, teachers, community workers, and family members may contribute to their success. In “Getting Connected” Robert A. Farlie and Rebecca London’s provide a plethora of quantitative and qualitative information on the growing consumption of technology among Latina adolescents which might prove of great utility to educators. Xae Alicia Reyes, author of “Cien Porciento Puertorriquena,” addresses the often ignored issue of negative media-influenced perceptions of Latina adolescents among educators, calling for transformative classroom dialogues in the Freirian mode. Essays such as Yvette Flores’s “La Salud. Latina Adolescents Constructing Identities Negotiating Health Decisions” and Stephen T. Russell and Faye T.H. Lee’s “Latina Adolescent Motherhood: A Turning Point?” explore the intersections of gender, health, culture and public policy, opening doors to Latina adolescent subjectivities and empowerment strategies.
It is not always clear that the quantitative data supports the assertions, specifically in areas that examine such subjectively-based experiences as feelings of well being, as in Charu Takral and Elizabeth Vera’s essay, “La Felicidad,” an essay based on new perspectives called “positive psychology” and “subjective well-being” (p. 188). As the authors acknowledge, serious difficulties arise in measuring emotions such as hope and optimism, as well as measuring the real impact that social desirability may have in adolescent behavior. The authors argue, as well, for the incorporation--in educational and social work settings--of strategies that help Latina adolescents cope with difficult emotions. Though calling for strategies that focus on increasing emotional competence in adolescents overall is a worthwhile idea, it is not clear to the reader how such strategies should be incorporated solely or specifically for Latina girls. Resilience may be better cultivated by a more realistic look at the world and at strategies for adaptation and development, rather than focusing on strategies that look only at affirmation and well being. The authors of this chapter, however, do challenge the notion that, on dealing with underrepresented groups, social scientists and educators often focus only on possible pathologies, rather than a more holistic view which includes positive traits in Latina adolescents. Notwithstanding, Denner and Guzman offer a compilation that provides a wealth of practical examples for academics, researchers, and community members, breaking down dysfunctional stereotypes and opening doors to new visions.
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
251 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
0814719775 / 9780814719770
Local notes
psychology