Hispanic / Latino Identity: A Philosophical Perspective

Written by Jorge Gracia, one of the most influential thinkers of Hispanic/Latino descent, this volume provides a superb introduction to the philosophical, social, and political elements of Hispanic/Latino identity. The book explores central historical and current debates surrounding Hispanic/Latino culture, thought, and identity in the United States, Spain, and Latin American countries. Gracia′s interdisciplinary approach is systematic and he uses philosophical analysis along with the history of philosophy to clarify and illustrate his provocative theses. This engaging and enlightening work is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in Hispanic/Latino studies, social policy, and the history of thought and culture.

Preface. 1. What Should We Call Ourselves?. 2. What′s in a Name? The Relation of Names to Identity and Ethnicity. 3. What Makes Us Who We Are? The Key to Our Unity and Diversity. 4. An Illustration: Hispanic Philosophy. 5. Where Do We Come From? Encounters, Inventions, and Mestizaje. 6. The Search for Identity: Latin–America and Its Philosophy. 7. Foreigners in Our Own Land: Hispanics in American Philosophy. Conclusion. Notes. Bibliography. Index of Names. Index of Subjects.

Jorge J. E. Gracia was born in Cuba and educated in Cuba, Europe, and the United States. He is currently Samuel P. Capen Chair and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is author of ten books and more than 150 articles, and has edited more than a dozen books on metaphysics, historiography, hermeneutics, medieval philosophy, and Hispanic philosophy. He has been President of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy, the Society for Iberian and Latin American Thought, the American Catholic Philosophical Association, and the International Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

"Gracia has written a clear and understandable book that will appeal to general readers and lower–division undergraduates." Choice, March 2000, P. Vila, University of Texas at San Antonio <!––end––> "It would be impossible to overestimate the contribution that Jorge Gracia′s book makes to the philosophical fields of ethnic and Hispanic/Latino studies.The book has already succeeded in promoting a lively discussion among leading figures in these fields." The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, Vol. 17, 2003 "In this book Jorge Gracia makes a formidable case for a non–essentialist Hispanic identity. Lurking behind his arguments is a case for rethinking two other kinds of identities – what it means to be an American, and what it means to be a philosopher. Hispanic/Latino Identity: A Philosophical Perspective moves smoothly between these often muddled layers of identity and by the end offers insights that can only be enriching to an American philosophical community typically perceived by non–whites as indifferent, even hostile." Samuel O. Imbo, Essays in Philosophy, Vol. 5, No. 1, January 2004, Book Review