Latino/as in the U.S.

This essay explores Chicanx identity in academia through critical race theory (CRT) counterstory. A turn to CRT is an interdisciplinary approach that allows writing programs, faculty, and writing program administrators to ready the field of rhetoric and composition for the increasing number of diverse students enrolling in higher education. CRT challenges the institution’s status quo injustices toward racial minorities and works to expose institutionalized and systemic racism as it exists and continues to flourish in American institutions. Furthermore, CRT counterstory is theorized methodology with potential for both scholarship and pedagogy in rhetoric and composition. An interdisciplinary method, CRT counterstory recognizes that the experiential and embodied knowledge of people of color is legitimate and critical to understanding racism, which is often well disguised in the rhetoric of normalized structural values and practices.

US Central Americans are destabilizing, reconceiving, and revitalizing the US Latina/o canon, and in doing so, they are forcing us to reconsider hegemonic ideas about Latinidad. The cultural production of Latinos/as of Central American descent has engaged in a critical denunciation of the violence that characterizes not only the history, but also the current situation, of the Central American isthmus. This essay examines the strategies used by US Central American poet William Archila and visual artist Alma Leiva to (re)construct the past and memorialize the victims of violence across Central America. I argue that Archila’s poetry collection The Art of Exile and Alma Leiva’s installation-photography series Celdas are examples of the “art of witness.” As such, their works play a key role in the reconstruction of Central American collective memory from the diaspora.

Designed to encourage critical thinking about history, the Major Problems in American History series introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in US history. This collection is designed for courses on Latina/o history.

Y adira is a specialist in neurology and a graduate of the Universidad de La Habana. She worked for 20 years in the emergency room of a hospital in Havana, Cuba. She loved her job, but like many immigrants, she moved to the United States three years ago in search of a better quality of life for her family. Unfortunately, she cannot work in her profession because her diploma is not valid in the U.S., and she does not know enough English to get a license as a neurologist. Therefore, having the opportunity to obtain a degree in nursing at the University of Ana G. Méndez University (AGMU) in Maryland has been, according to her, a blessing.

The aim of this paper is to establish a link between the code-switch "tags" in Junot Díaz's work and some formal resources of graffiti artists, in particular their emblematic "tagz." These elements are read together to attest to a battle of the discursive sort being waged in the discursive frontiers of North America, as well as globally in the contact zones between cultures.


RESUMEN
En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre el la alternancia de lenguas en las narraciones de Junot Díaz y ciertos recursos formales empleados por artistas del graffiti. Estos elementos revelan una batalla por el estilo discursivo que se libra en las tierras fronterizas de América del Norte, y globalmente en zonas de contacto cultural.

India, el espacio suspendido entre el aquí, el allá, el ahora y el ayer, conforman el universo personal al que nos conecta Dominicanish, de Josefina Báez, escritora dominican-york -como ella misma se describe. Y ese universo es poesía, drama, ritmo; es saber reírse de sí mismo, saber ver la vida como es y saber seguir hacia delante.

With the dramatic increase of diverse student populations in U.S. schools, educators and school professionals are encountering significant difficulties in meeting the needs of struggling students and establishing an overall positive academic climate. This is particularly true with the influx of Latino students, who now constitute the majority of diverse populations in many parts of the country. Furthermore, Latinos are the projected majority population of the United States. Research has indicated a failure to meet the diverse needs of Latino students. As a group, they have historically experienced overrepresentation in disability categories, received a disproportionate number of disciplinary actions, and evidence high dropout rates. In this article, the authors discuss educational and social issues facing Latino populations, present specific points focused on the development of a better understanding of Latino cultures, and offer recommendations regarding ways to better meet the needs of this growing population.

Después de su separación de la antigua República de Colombia, la vida política de Venezuela estuvo colmada de levantamientos militares y conflictos de poder que impidieron la edificación de instituciones de carácter público lo suficientemente fuertes para controlar y garantizar la autoridad efectiva del gobierno central sobre la estructura administrativa del Estado. La constante amenaza de insurrecciones armadas internas y el temor a posibles agresiones del exterior condicionaron la actitud de los gobernantes venezolanos durante ese período. Muchos de ellos trataron de mantener, algunas veces con mayor efectividad que otras, un rígido control sobre aquellos elementos de poder que hicieran posible la estabilidad de sus respectivos regímenes: la integridad del territorio terrestre y marítimo del país, la adecuada capacidad de sus fuerzas militares para enfrentar a los enemigos del gobierno, y una relativa fortaleza de la estructura económico – comercial del Estado que asegurara los recursos materiales e ingresos financieros necesarios para garantizar la paz, el equilibrio y la seguridad del país.

This paper considers Sergio Troncoso's _From This Wicked Patch of Dust_ as a resistance novel. I argue that Troncoso relies on form, language, and indigenous myths and symbols to resist dominant American linguistic authority and popular imagination and to embrace his mestizo and Chicano heritage. Yet, he does not call for a complete return to old Mexico, which is itself plagued by problems of androcentrism. Instead, he calls for a Chicano identity that is defined by hybridity, ambiguity and fluidity.

La literatura latina de los Estados Unidos, expresión literaria de una identidad cultural surgida de los procesos migratorios que desde el siglo XX en adelante vehiculizan la condición extraterritorial de gran parte de la cultura latinoamericana contemporánea, configura un fenómeno estético-cultural de enorme impacto en el seno de las tradiciones literarias que intersecta intersticialmente, y a las cuales transforma por medio de la portentosa pujanza de sus innovadores procesos transculturales, proyectando, consecuentemente, un cuestionamiento de los límites tradiciones de lo que se conoce como “la literatura latinoamericana”.

The Latino population is the fastest growing group in the United States; thus, it is imperative that social workers and other mental health practitioners be knowledgeable about the current literature on how to effectively serve this population. This article elucidates key issues and knowledge, such as immigration and migration concerns; discusses how to assess for levels of acculturation; examines cultural values; and highlights salient work issues and health disparities that Latinos experience. Recommendations on how agencies and universities can recruit and promote bilingual practitioners are introduced. Finally, culturally responsive strategies for professional use of self and fostering the therapeutic alliance are discussed.

For decades, research has focused on American Sign Language/English bilingual education for d/Deaf and hard of hearing students whose families used English or ASL. However, a growing population of d/Dhh children come from households where languages other than English (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese) are used. In a longitudinal case study, the authors document the K−12 educational pathway of a deaf Latina student.  Anecdotal records, semistructured interviews, assessment data, and document reviews of the participant’s school and clinical records are used to develop the case study. The findings provide the basis for recommendations for future research and for critical factors to consider to improve the education of d/Dhh Multilingual Learners (DMLs), including ensuring appropriate educational placements, addressing early communication and language needs, determining effective instructional techniques and assessments, strengthening the L1 to support L2 learning, and providing students with opportunities to learn their heritage language.

“On good days I feel I am a bridge. On bad days I just feel alone,” Sergio Troncoso writes in this riveting collection of sixteen personal essays in which he seeks to connect the humanity of his Mexican family to people he meets on the East Coast, including his wife’s Jewish kin. Raised in a home steps from the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, Troncoso crossed what seemed an even more imposing border when he left home to attend Harvard College.

Initially, “outsider status” was thrust upon him; later, he adopted it willingly, writing about the Southwest and Chicanos in an effort to communicate who he was and where he came from to those unfamiliar with his childhood world. He wrote to maintain his ties to his parents and his abuelita, and to fight against the elitism he experienced at an Ivy League school. “I was torn,” he writes, “between the people I loved at home and the ideas I devoured away from home.”

Troncoso writes to preserve his connections to the past, but he puts pen to paper just as much for the future. In his three-part essay entitled “Letter to My Young Sons,” he documents the terror of his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis and the ups and downs of her surgery and treatment. Other essays convey the joys and frustrations of fatherhood, his uneasy relationship with his elderly father, and the impact his wife’s Jewish heritage and religion have on his Mexican-American identity.

Crossing Borders: Personal Essays reveals a writer, father and husband who has crossed linguistic, cultural and intellectual borders to provoke debate about contemporary Mexican-American identity.  Challenging assumptions about literature, the role of writers in America, fatherhood and family, these essays bridge the chasm between the poverty of the border region and the highest echelons of success in America. Troncoso writes with the deepest faith in humanity about sacrifice, commitment and honesty.

In defiance of general trends in ethnic-minority broadcasting, U.S. Spanish-language radio enjoyed remarkably consistent growth from its beginnings in the 1920s to its commercial maturation in the 1960s and 1970s. To explain how this happened, this study situates broadcasting in Spanish within the context of foreign-language (or “ethnic”) radio. It then elucidates the factors behind its sustained increase in popularity and commercial viability over its first 50 years, along with the reasons why programming in other tongues diminished. Spanish-language radio’s early success owed not only to demography but also to Latin America’s proximity to the United States, circular flows of entertainers, mutual attitudes between Anglos and Hispanics, and the creative initiatives of Hispanic radio executives, brokers, and advertisers.

An overview of Latino/a spiritualities today--Protestant, Catholic, Pentecostal, and non-Christian and the challenges they bring to Christian theology and ministry.

Given the context of increasing religious pluralism and a burgeoning interest in religions, religiosity, and spirituality within the United States and the knowledge that by the mid-twenty-first century an estimated 100 million Americans will claim Latin origin, an understanding of the varieties of Latino/a spirituality becomes essential.

This book focuses on the ways in which Latinos and Latinas participate in the pursuit and practice of the spiritual or holy santo as part of their lived religion. In seven chapters, Aponte explores various understandings of santo and its participation in daily life, rites of passage, and worship.

Review from National Catholic Reporter: https://www.ncronline.org/books/2012/12/author-provides-lens-latino-culture-force

Syllabus for an experiential learning seminar focused on Mexican American and Latino/a/x civil rights. The focus is primarily on Texas, since the seminar involved a five-day trip to Austin, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi to visit places and meet activists related to course readings.

The following are Chapters and side-bars I have contributed to compilations:

“The Study of Spirituality,” Orlando O. Espín, ed., The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Latino/a Theology, Oxford, UK: Wiley Blackwell, 2015, 421-438.

“La Mobilidad Espiritual: Un Método Latino/a para el estudio de la Espiritualidad Cristiana.” Mobilidade religiosa: linguagens, juventude, polític editado por Geraldo De Mori y Pedro A. Ribeiro de Oliveira (Paulinas 2012).

“Spirituality.” Miguel A. De La Torre, ed. Hispanic American Religious Cultures, vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO 2009, 749-760.

“Virgin Mary.” Miguel A. De La Torre, ed. Hispanic American Religious Cultures, vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO 2009, 567-576.

“Popular Religion.” Miguel A. De La Torre, ed. Hispanic American Religious Cultures, vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO 2009, 713-726.

“Pilgrimage.” Miguel A. De La Torre, ed. Hispanic American Religious Cultures, vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO 2009, 436-440.
Side-bars

Retablos (p.8); Cursillo (p.97); Tres Reyes Magos (p.265); Tejano/as (p.291); Juan Diego (p.343); Virgen de Guadalupe (p.358) Miguel A. De La Torre, ed. Hispanic American Religious Cultures, vol. 1. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO 2009.

Flor y Canto (p.404); “Ometeotl” (p.406-407);  Tonantzin (p.407);Posadas (p.457); Martin de Porres (p.521); Rosa de Lima  (p. 523); San Judas Tadeo (p. 523); Coatlaxopeuh (p.570); Santos Patrones (p. 683); Promesas (p.714). Miguel A. De La Torre, ed. Hispanic American Religious Cultures, vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO 2009.

States-is widely touted as a strategy for addressing educational inequity. Yet efforts to implement school choice can exacerbate, rather than counteract, inequities. Unaccompanied Minors takes a close look at the experience of immigrant students and their families who are navigating New York City's mandatory high school choice program.

The first annual Hispanic Youth Ministry Convocation took place earlier this year at Perkins School of Theology. The gathering revolved around the concept of “rethinking.” During the six months prior to the event, I reflected on this word and concept, and how it intersects with our ministry among the Latino community, the congregations where we serve, and more specifically, the young people whom we have the privilege of walking along side of.
First, what does it mean to “rethink”? Why is it even important to engage in rethinking youth ministry? Aren’t there enough resources, conferences, and ministry models out there already? Should we be unsettled with our current ministry approaches? What is so different in our Latino context? – While preparing the lecture, I tried to place myself in the perspective of those participating in the Convocation.
Rethink translates into Spanish as replantear. As an architect, this term and concept resonates with me. It is to bring to the drafting table, for new review and discussion, a previously resolved issue or problem; to take the blueprints or architectural drawings with an already projected building, and begin to draw a new solution or approach over that. This is precisely where we find ourselves as Latino ministers at this time in history. If we are careful to sit back for a moment, and listen to the times, to the things developing around us, these are declaring a changing reality that begs for the space and courage to rethink how we approach ministry.

"The Criminalization of Immigration: Contexts and Consequences explores these competing narratives and the consequences of criminalizing immigration in the United States and abroad. It examines the impact of national, state, and local legislation on the psychosocial well being of immigrants. The book explores key ways in which immigration is criminalized, and examines how the problematization of immigration becomes a political tool. The first chapters of the book explore the criminalization of immigration through the lens of pacification and the theater of cruelty. In both chapters, the authors seek to understand the process of “othering” members of the immigrant population to exact social control and to mollify the public. These front chapters set the tone for remainder of the book. They provide the impetus for why states have enacted, or have attempted to enact state level immigration laws that make it nearly impossible for the undocumented to live within the boundaries of these states. In section two, three U.S. states are highlighted: Arizona, Alabama, and Indiana. While the chapters on Arizona and Alabama summarize key aspects of state laws, author Sujey Vega highlights the life of one undocumented immigrant as she navigates life in the Heartland.

The book then turns its focus to the criminalization of immigration in a socio-political context. Here, four chapters provide explorations of the criminalization of immigration on labor standards enforcement, immigrant detention, the right wing perspective in the United States and in Europe, and white supremacy. Labor standards impact the rate by which undocumented immigrants are paid, which in turn impacts their health and safety within and outside the workplace, protections from workplace discrimination, and collective activity protections. The criminalization of immigration erodes many of the workplace and labor protections that we have come to view as essential. Similarly, the privatization of corrections has influenced the incarceration and detention of many undocumented immigrants and has even influenced the very laws described in section two of this book. If not for the possibility of profiting off of the detention of the undocumented, many of immigration related laws would not have come to fruition.

The next section of the book provides a transnational and international context to the criminalization of immigration. With chapters focusing on human rights violations, the transnational dimensions of Mexican migration, the making of the Maras, and the criminalization of immigration in the United Kingdom, these chapters ask the reader to examine the criminalization of immigration from a broader perspective. The reader learns how national issues become international and, likewise how international immigration issues influence national policy.

The final chapters of the book put the human face on the criminalization of immigration. Each chapter represents a case study of a specific aspect of the criminalization of immigration. They approach the issue from the viewpoint of a day laborer, an undocumented woman who has become a victim of domestic violence, a child whose parents are undocumented, and a detention officer who wrestles with his decisions to continue his job. Regardless of which chapters one reads, the raw emotion felt by placing oneself in each context is overwhelming.

Overall, The Criminalization of Immigration: Contexts and Consequences provides a complete examination of an issue that cuts through emotional value conflicts. It provides the facts and knowledge essential for a fair and balanced debate"

""Reviews
"... Engagingly and accessibly written... deserves wide readership among everyone interested in US religion, ethnicity, organizations and urban culture." -- Choice

"...fascinating...offers valuable insights...This book will be of great interest to scholars of religion in America..." -- Sociology of Religion Fall 2006

"...highly readable... easily used in an undergraduate course...engaging...useful for a graduate course...I look forward to reading Marti's future work." -- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"...of methodological value to students of new religious movements...will help observers of other groups as well." -- Novo Religio, 10, 3 Feb. 2007

"Marti's argument seems to be that such a complex project can succeed..." -- Contemporary Sociology, 36, 1 Jan. 2007

"Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of American evangelical diversity, of the emergent church movement, and of intriguing congregational efforts to bridge ethnic divides, will want to read this book." --Christian Scholar's Review

Mosaic in Southern California is one of the largest multiethnic congregations in America, and also one of the most innovative. This book takes us inside this unusual church. It shows how the church has achieved multiethnicity, not by targeting ethnic groups, but by providing multiple havens of inclusion and commonality that render ethnic differences moot. These havens are arenas for multiethnic companionship, cooperation, and camaraderie that arise out of a union of creative volunteer resources and the ambitious global mission of the church. A Mosaic of Believers examines the structure of the church and the innovative aspects of its mission. It reveals a congregation aiming to reconstruct evangelical theology, personal identity, member involvement, and church governance in an attempt to create an institution with greater relevance to the social reality of a new generation. Based on interviews and participation with the congregation and grounded in contemporary sociological theory, the book presents a rich portrait of an emerging religious community.""

This pilot study investigates the current state of Latino/a students in higher education and first-year writing (FYW) programs in the United States. This project explores if and how FYW programs address the literacy skills of second generation Latino/as who speak either Spanish or variations of Spanish and English, or who speak only English. I hypothesized in the beginning of this project that the contributing factors to Latino/as' poor academic performance may stem from some educators, policy makers, and political leaders overlooking students' cultural differences.

In studies of immigration, generation is typically considered
a static categorical system. I argue, however, that generation is a fluid construct and must be understood as place-based. Drawing on fieldwork conducted among Latino/as along the Texas–Mexico border, I seek to explore what current framings of generation leave out. Many in Laredo, Texas, see this border as allowing or preventing movement; these perceptions
impact the constructions of generational categories. Cross-border travel, conceptualizations of place and immigration, and mixed-generational unions shape immigrant experiences, and in turn, affect concepts of generation. I conclude by offering ideas and inviting discussion on how the concept of generation can be re-worked to move beyond blunt categories and be re-conceptualized from the perspective of immigrants.

"Latinos are now the largest ethnic minority population in the United States and still they encounter a great deal of misunderstanding, prejudice, and discrimination. Utilizing a strengths-based perspective, Social Work Practice with Latinos addresses the unique needs of this diverse population.

Written by practitioners and scholars from many disciplines, this book discusses social issues of consequence to Latinos and specific strengths and risk factors of the Latino community. They then offer methods that utilize these strengths to ensure a culturally-competent approach to practice with Latino populations. Each chapter is accompanied by key questions for personal and group reflection to facilitate discussion and understanding of these vital themes.

The editors have nearly three decades of combined experience working with Latino populations inside and outside the United States. Drawing on this experience, they integrate these varied perspectives to prepare students and practitioners for practice with this richly diverse community."

The portrayal of Hispanics in American film and television has focused traditionally on negative stereotypes of the worst values and traditions of the Spanish-speaking communities in the country, with a racist and prejudiced misrepresented focus, a sample of the superficiality and hatred by some in the media industry. Recent examples show that our theory is not so far from reality as we all do want.

An abstract: The border with its multiple roles and interpretations has always played an important role in Chicana and Latina discourse in the U.S.. Redefinitions and redesigns of spatial paradigms that took place in the second half of the 20 th century resulted in proliferation of border imagery in literature that presented complex roles of the border. The aforementioned transformations were reflected in the shift of focus in Chicana discourse on the spatial, from location to mobility, " from land to roads " (Kaup 200). This shift in turn, led to alterative constructions of space and remappings of geographic locations that included creation of in-between spaces and rewriting of the border from a demarcation line into a contact zone. Due to the interdependence between space and identity formation, the new concepts of the border predetermine a different approach towards Chicana identity formation. Contemporary Chicana literature often focuses on roads rather than dwellings (Kaup 228) and discusses the issue of identity formation construed in in-between spaces. Chicana authors often examine the experience of nomadic subjects traveling both within the U.S. and/or Mexico or crossing the border, presenting multiple reasons behind such travels, as well as different experiences and outcomes resulting from these journeys. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the redefinitions of the border are reflected in Reyna Grande's The Distance Between Us: A Memoir and how border crossings presented by the author contribute to the displacement of the main character and her family, triggering the notion of simultaneously belonging and unbelonging, or becoming " Othered, " which results in the construction of transnational identities. Streszczenie: Granica wraz z różnymi jej rolami oraz interpretacjami zawsze odgrywała znaczącą rolę w dyskrusie latynoskim i autorek pochodzenia meksykańskiego w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Zmiany definicji paradygmatów przestrzennych, które pojawiały się od połowy wieku dwudziestego, zaowocowały różnorodnymi przedstawieniami granicy w literaturze, która zaczęła odzwierciedlać wielorakie role, jakie ta granica odgrywała. Jednym z rezultatów tychże zmian było przeniesienie uwagi w dyskursie przestrzennym z położenia/lokalizacji na mobilność, " z ziemi/terytorium na drogi/trasy " (Kaup 200). Ta zmiana z kolei doprowadziła do powstania alternatywnych koncepcji przestrzennych oraz przedefiniowania lokalizacji geograficznych, przyczyniając się między innymi do pojawienia się pojęcia przestrzeni istniejących pomiędzy innymi przestrzeniami (z ang. in-between spaces) oraz do zmiany w przedstawianiu granicy – od linii demarkacyjnej do strefy kontaktu. Biorąc pod uwagę współzależność między przestrzenią a konstruowaniem tożsamości, nowe pojęcia granicy miały wpływ na tożsamość Chicana. Współczesna literatura Chicana (autorek pochodzenia meksykańskiego w Stanach Zjednoczonych) często przedstawia drogi i trasy zamiast domów i mieszkań (Kaup 228) oraz zajmuje się kwestią budowania tożsamości w

In the United States, immigration is generally seen as a law and order issue. Amidst increasing anti-immigrant sentiment, unauthorized migrants have been cast as lawbreakers. Governing Immigration Through Crime offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the use of crime and punishment to manage undocumented immigrants.

Presenting key readings and cutting-edge scholarship, this volume examines a range of contemporary criminalizing practices: restrictive immigration laws, enhanced border policing, workplace audits, detention and deportation, and increased policing of immigration at the state and local level. Of equal importance, the readings highlight how migrants have managed to actively resist these punitive practices. In bringing together critical theorists of immigration to understand how the current political landscape propagates the view of the "illegal alien" as a threat to social order, this text encourages students and general readers alike to think seriously about the place of undocumented immigrants in American society.

Miguel Algarín, fundador y emblema de la tradi-
ción poética niuyorriqueña, recuperó la obra de
Pablo Neruda como fundamento para su proyecto
político-poético a partir de la imagen del poeta
como portavoz de su comunidad e instrumento
de conminación social a través del proceso de
toma de consciencia. Esta articulación le permitió
a Algarín insertar extraterritorialmente a la tradición
niuyorriqueña dentro del mapa de la literatura
latinoamericana a través de su función político-per-
formativa. Pero distinto es el caso de otras poéticas
niuyorriqueñas como la del poeta Tato Laviera, en
cuya obra la articulación entre poesía niuyorriqueña
y tradición latinoamericana ya no se sostiene en
esta función contestataria sino en el acervo cultural
afro-antillano de la propia identidad niuyorriqueña.
Laviera configura así una poética que problematiza
y expande los límites geopolíticos y culturales de
esa cartografía imaginaria denominada “literatura
latinoamericana”

Video games are increasingly becoming an important media today, despite the light connota-tion of its initial categorization. Today they are an industry that produces billions of dollars and employs engineers and artists alike in an art form spanning interactive games, to virtual socie-ties where millions of people dwell. However, like all human products, our same fears, flaws and xenophobia show in the games, with the reflection of hatred, racism and stereotypes that are our everyday experience. Also, because of the influence of other media, like television, with misrepresentations of blacks, Latinos and other races, or the objectification of women are pre-sent in video games. The significant thing found researching for this assignment is that most of those who use these games are themselves part of minorities or races that are not exactly white Americans. Abuse of the frustrations and desires of the user, handling codes and the system an-swers of gamers to maintain the player engagement, has more resemblance to the use of illegal drugs than with art, but however, the complexity of the design, stories and global assessment, have led to other considerations by experts. Competing in the games could be considered as having more of escapism that the reality of engaging, but all human beings are expected in their tribes to compete and demonstrate their value as a member while complying with social norms or expectations. Same as satisfying or surrender to corporate or group interests. Here are some thoughts for the purpose of this study.