The Latino Studies Reader: Culture, Economy, and Society

The Latino population is the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States, creating a greater need than ever to critically assess the questions pertaining to Latinos. In this comprehensive collection of essays and articles, The Latino Studies Reader draws on the most interesting recent work from Latino scholars and social critics to answer these questions. Doing away with conventional theories of race relations, with its exclusive black/white focus, Darder and Torres focus on "class analysis" as a theoretical framework.

To reflect the diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds of Latinos living throughout the United States, The Latino Studies Reader draws on the experiences of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cubanos, Caribbeans, Central and South Americans in a comparative perspective. The volume is organized around four major themes: culture, history, and society; politics; gender, sexuality, and power; and labor and the global economy, drawing on the multidisciplinary orientation found in ethnic and cultural studies.

Included in this collection are essays from major thinkers including Cornel West, Denise Segura, Gloria Anzaldua, and Luis Rodriguez, along with new voices from the emerging community of Latino and Latina scholars.

List of Contributors.

Acknowledgements.

Introduction.

Latinos and Society: Culture, Politics, and Class: Antonia Darder (Claremont Graduate School in California) and Rodolfo D. Torres (California State University, Long Beach).

Part I: Culture, History, and Society: A Conceptual Map:.

1. Merging Borders: The Remapping of America: Edna Acosta–Belen and Carlos E. Santiago (Both State University of New York, Albany).

2. Encuentros y Encontronazos: Homeland in the Politics and Identity of the Cuban Diaspora: Maria de los Angeles Torres (DePaul University, Chicago).

3. Aztlan, Borinquen and Hispanic Nationalism in the United States: J. Jorge Klor de Alva (University of California, Berkeley).

4. Chicano History: Transcending Cultural Models: Gilbert Gonzalez and Raul Fernandez (University of California, Irvine).

5. Mapping the Spanish Language along a Multiethnic and Multilingual Border: Rosaura Sanchez (University of California, San Diego).

Part II: Cultural Politics and Border Zones: Recasting Racialized Relations:.

6. The Politics of Biculturalism: Culture and Difference in the Formation of Warriors from Gringostroika and the New Mestizas: Antonia Darder (Claremont Graduate School in California).

7. Beyond the Rainbow: Mapping the Discourse on the Puerto Ricans and "Race": Roberto P. Rodriguez–Morazzani (City University of New York).

8. Chicana Artists: Exploring Nepantla, El Lugar de la Frontera: Gloria Anzaldua.

9. The Shock of the New: Ruben Martinez.

10. Our Next Race Question: The Uneasiness between Blacks and Latinos: Jorge Klor de Alva, Earl Shorris, and Cornel West (Harvard University).

Part III: Critical Discourses on Gender, Sexuality and Power:.

11. Chicana Feminisms: Their Political Context and Contemporary Expressions: Denise A. Segura (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Beatriz M. Perquera (University of California, Davis).

12. Crazy Wisdom: Memories of a Cuban Queer: Lourdes Arguelles(Claremont Graduate School, California).

13. Teatro Viva!: Latino Performance and the Politics of AIDS in Los Angeles: David Roman (University of Southern California).

14. The Latin Phallus: Ilan Stavans (Amherst College).

Part IV: Labor and Politics in a Global Economy: The Latino Metropoles:.

15. Rank and File: Historical Perspectives on Latino/a Workers in the US: Zaragosa Vargas (University of California, Santa Barbara).

16. Latinos in a "Post–Industrial" Disorder: Politics in a Changing City: Victor Valle (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) and Rodolfo D. Torres (California State University, Long Beach).

17. What′s Yellow and White and Has Land All Around It?: Appropriating Place in Puerto Rican Barrios: Luis Aponte–Pares(University of Massachusetts).

18. Caribbean Colonial Immigrants in the Metropoles: A Research Agenda: Ramon Grosfoguel (State University of New York, Binghamton).

Index.

Antonia Darder is Associate Professor of Education at the Claremont Graduate School. Her other books include Culture and Power in the Classroom, 1991 and Culture and Difference: Critical Perspectives on the Bicultural Experience in the U. S. 1995 both published by Bergin and Garvey. She was born in Puerto Rico.

Rodolfo D. Torres is Professor of Political Science at the Graduate Centre for Public Policy at California State University – Long Beach. He was born in East Los Angeles. Darder and Torres have also co–edited Latinos and Education, 1997, Routledge.

"This rich collection is an indispensable reader for anyone interested in the diversity of Latino cultures and experiences in the United States. Its contentious and bold essays range from rethinking notions of Latino identities and cultures to exploring the sociopolitical implications of postindustrial change and global restructuring. This is without question an exciting and provocative collection of essays by some of the most important writers in Latino studies." Mario Barrera, Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley

"Darder and Torres have brought together a remarkable collection of studies that illustrates the powerful work being done by and about Latinos and Latinas. Educators, students, and cultural workers throughout the United States and elsewhere will benefit from this work, which offers lucid commentaries and political strategies by leading cultural reassessing our positions and assumptions." Peter McLaren Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles