POS 324/LCS 375 Latino Politics in the U.S.
Spring 2016
Prof. Cruz
2nd Essay
Using literature and research from previously conducted experiments, in “‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’: The Viability of Categories for Panethnic Unity,” author Jose Calderon attempts to explain the history behind how America has come to view the Spanish speaking population as one homogenous group, when in fact “the groups that are said to reflect a Hispanic or Latino ethnicity differ sharply in historical experience, socioeconomic status and identity” (Calderon, 37). Before continuing I should add that prior to reading this article and knowing the historical significance, I had assumed that the terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” were synonymous and able to be used interchangeably. …show more content…
It reads, “ [t]he categorizing of Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Latin American groups under the term HIspanic seems to have arisen from the external forces, including the use of the term by the media, the US Census Bureau and other government agencies, and politicians on the federal level, rather than from any cohesion of the groups themselves” (Calderon, 39). The author, however, then asserts, “Where some semblance of panethnic unity is developing, the term Latino is preferred as a means of uniting Latino groups whose identity is socially constructed by the US foreign policy” (Calderon, 39). Calderon then goes on to discuss how in the 1960s the Chicano groups “fought hard to popularize the word Chicano as a replacement for Spanish-American, which implied the assimilation of the Chicano people into the US society, left out the Indian heritage, and implied that the Chicano history had its origins in Europe”(Calderon 40). Through reading this one is able to understand why they fought so hard. Having been put into boxes and compartmentalized by white America, the Chicanos wanted to, in essence, name themselves. However, Calderon then notes, “[w]hereas Spanish-American has been acceptable to the larger society, Chicano (or even Mexican-American) was viewed as militant” and that “[w]hen the term Spanish-American fell into disuse, the US Census Bureau and other government agencies, with the blessing of various Latino politicians, replaced it with the term Hispanic” (Calderon,
Spring 2016
Prof. Cruz
2nd Essay
Using literature and research from previously conducted experiments, in “‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’: The Viability of Categories for Panethnic Unity,” author Jose Calderon attempts to explain the history behind how America has come to view the Spanish speaking population as one homogenous group, when in fact “the groups that are said to reflect a Hispanic or Latino ethnicity differ sharply in historical experience, socioeconomic status and identity” (Calderon, 37). Before continuing I should add that prior to reading this article and knowing the historical significance, I had assumed that the terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” were synonymous and able to be used interchangeably. …show more content…
It reads, “ [t]he categorizing of Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Latin American groups under the term HIspanic seems to have arisen from the external forces, including the use of the term by the media, the US Census Bureau and other government agencies, and politicians on the federal level, rather than from any cohesion of the groups themselves” (Calderon, 39). The author, however, then asserts, “Where some semblance of panethnic unity is developing, the term Latino is preferred as a means of uniting Latino groups whose identity is socially constructed by the US foreign policy” (Calderon, 39). Calderon then goes on to discuss how in the 1960s the Chicano groups “fought hard to popularize the word Chicano as a replacement for Spanish-American, which implied the assimilation of the Chicano people into the US society, left out the Indian heritage, and implied that the Chicano history had its origins in Europe”(Calderon 40). Through reading this one is able to understand why they fought so hard. Having been put into boxes and compartmentalized by white America, the Chicanos wanted to, in essence, name themselves. However, Calderon then notes, “[w]hereas Spanish-American has been acceptable to the larger society, Chicano (or even Mexican-American) was viewed as militant” and that “[w]hen the term Spanish-American fell into disuse, the US Census Bureau and other government agencies, with the blessing of various Latino politicians, replaced it with the term Hispanic” (Calderon,