Status
Call number
Genres
Publication
Description
"In an unprecedented demographic shift, Latinos will comprise a third of the American population in just a matter of decades. While their influence shapes everything from electoral politics to popular culture, many Americans still struggle with two basic questions: Who are Latinos, and where do they fit in America's racial order? Laura E. Gómez, a leading expert on race in America, argues that it is only recently that Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Central Americans, and others are seeing themselves (and are being seen by others) under the banner of a cohesive racial identity. And the catalyst for this emergent identity, she argues, has been the ferocity of anti-Latino racism. In a bold effort to reframe our often-confused discussions over the Latinx generation, Gómez argues that everything from Trump's toxic rhetoric and anti-immigrant laws like Arizona's SB1070 to DACA and sanctuary cities have indelibly changed the way race functions in this country. Part history, part guide for the future, Inventing Latinos argues that all Americans must grapple with Latinos' dynamic identity--an identity that is impacting everything we think we know about race in America"--… (more)
User reviews
Race is a social construct, there isn't really much real argument about that except from those trying to gain or maintain power
The history here, the sociology, and the horrific US policy are all investigated in showing how the creation of such a group could be used to support white supremacist (read official US policy) fears and concerns. Yet in spite of the many different cultures included under this umbrella, it may just be useful for those peoples to form coalitions and find enough common ground, maybe the widespread racism in the white communities, to use this monolithic identity against the white supremacists who created it.
This is an excellent history and makes explicit the wrongs the US government has perpetrated on both foreign governments and its own citizens.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Goodreads.