Title: Introduction
Author: Antonia Darder and Rodolfo D. Torres
The introduction to this book attempts to synthesize the overall issues and themes of the articles included within the book. All these issues focus on Latinos and their struggles within society. The authors of this book have a desire to shed light on the following concepts: the increase in the Latinos demographic, the poverty and inequality faced by Latinos, the issues regarding education and the continual pressure placed on Latinos to assimilate. The introduction serves as a gateway for all the articles that follow since it breaks down all the topics that will be discussed and it discusses the themes in each section.
Open-ended question: Will the increasing number of Latinos
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help society realize that the issues Latinos face are based on the societal structure? Title: “The Ideology and Practice of Empire: The U.S., Mexico and the Education of Mexican Immigrants” Author: Gilbert G. Gonzalez This article discusses the education Mexicans receive in the United States and the reasons why they possess power over Mexico.
In hopes of becoming a powerful country, the U. S. decided to obtain resources from Mexico that would benefit America and simultaneously gained control over Mexicans. This control resulted in limitations for Mexicans who live and migrate to America. This type of power creates a racial structure to prevent Mexicans from growing in America. This structure also consists of forcing Latinos to assimilate, which is also another concept discussed in the article, referred to as the “Mexican Problem.” Mexicans are seen as individuals, who ‘lacked leadership, discipline and organization…’ (Gonzalez 31). This stereotype labeled Mexicans as lazy individuals who choose to remain part of the working poor when in reality society does not create a beneficial structure that helps Mexicans succeed. As stated in the article, “’The Mexican Problem’ only covered up the core issues, the racial domination that established the relations between the Mexican community and the dominant society” (Gonzalez 32). The stereotype created was and continues to be useful when attempting to shift blame from society onto the individuals in the …show more content…
group. Open-ended question: If Latinos assimilate, can New York City still consider itself a “melting pot” or does that die along with culture? Title: “Puerto Rican Politics in the United States: Examination of Major Perspectives and Theories” Author: Edgardo Melendez The reading by Melendez on Puerto Rican politics attempts to describe Puerto Ricans and their political choices throughout many years.
One of the things discussed within the article states that Puerto Ricans had a clear mindset on where they belonged, which was back in their homeland and therefore refused to assimilate and become “Americanized”. The whole concept of the article is to analysis why Puerto Ricans are the way they are in terms of politics. One interesting quote from the article states, ‘identity politics was a way of achieving representation and a means to negotiate individual and group benefits…’(Melendez 52). This quote is stating that Puerto Ricans used their identity as a means of conducting politics in order to find ways that would be most beneficial for them and at the same time promote stability for all Puerto Ricans. However, there is a misconception created by individuals who think that Puerto Ricans had it easier and were more likely to progress in the United States just because they had the ability to access their island. At the same time, others questioned why many Puerto Ricans resisted assimilation. The phrase “The Puerto Rican exception” refers to Puerto Ricans who refuse to assimilate and maintain their political views despite living in the United
States. Open ended Discussion Questions- 1) Did Puerto Ricans foresee becoming a commonwealth state of the United States and does this help or injure their perspective on future political decisions? Title: “Critical Pedagogy, Latino/a Education, and the Politics of Class Struggle” Author: Peter McLaren and Nathalia E. Jaramillo This article tries to explain why incorporating a critical pedagogy with the concepts of Marx’s theory will be beneficial in a classroom setting. Education under Marx’s theory would be one in which educators keep in mind the exploitation of humans and has strong emphasis on the capitalistic society and how it uses its institutions to instill order among the working poor in order to maintain a division among the classes who possess power. With critical pedagogy there will be an understanding of what social injustice is and there will also be methods to help how to do away with inequality, oppressive institutions, and in return help students feel empowered by their society. The main idea is to create paths in which these students do not feel as if they are incapable of becoming successful or dreaming bigger. Open-ended question- Since schools are oppressed by the Board of Education and cannot just instill this critical pedagogy concept, what are some possible ways to influence parents to take part in this movement? WEEK 3 Title: “Movimientos de Rebeldía y las Culturas que Tracionan Author: Gloria Anzaldúa The author’s theme for this article is culture. From her point of view, culture has had the ability to dictate what behaviors are appropriate for each gender. Within this article, the author’s main point is that as a female she was expected to maintain a specific image/role and to obtain respect for the opposite sex. She specifies that religion and culture both view women as fragile which is why the man must be protective. The phrase that best demonstrates the cultural outlook taken by women against men is “La mujer tiene que hacer lo que le diga el hombre” (88).Women must do what the man says because they are deemed powerful. The construction of this desired social identity for each gender is the cause of fear and confliction within an individual when they no longer feel like they belong to their culture. Open-ended Question: Despite the progression made for women equality, over the years, what are some other cultural matters that hinder their ability to be seen as equals? Title: “Latino/ “Hispanic”- Who Needs a Name? The case Against a Standardized Terminology” Author: Martha E. Gimenez The main argument presented within this article is identification based on faulty research. Over the past decades, there has been an increase interest on Latinos which triggers research in order to explain who Latinos are and why. The individuals that have decided to take on this topic, however, have not factored in essential elements such as “social class, socioeconomic strata, and actual opportunity structure” (Gimenez 96). When a research lacks these factors it results in the creation of stereotypes for the Latino population. These stereotypes then become true for the identity of the Latino population. Research, of course, cannot always include all these factors but they have to be at least consider them if a researcher wants to explain an issue such as education, poverty, and inequality among the Latino population. Open-ended Question: Has research been the source of all of stereotypes created against the Latino community? If not, what are some actions/decisions made by Latinos that have enforced stereotypes? Title: “Capitalist Schooling and Constructing young Latino Masculinities” Author: Rodolfo D. Torres and Alexandro José Gradilla This article discusses how schools can help or harm the identity of young Latino boys that are part of the capitalistic society. The main point within this article is that schools take part in creating the identity of young Latinos. This identity creation is often harmful since “working class families occupy spaces of inequality in the class structure” (Torres 106). One of the key concepts mentioned in this article about identity is that Latino men are assumed to possess machismo ways, which indicates that they are sexist. Ideologies such as these present young Latino boys with confusion and do not allow them to freely construct their own identity. An example of how society constructs young Latino identity for them was a program called bracero program, which was a “trade pact” between the United States and Mexico where Mexico provided the United States with young strong working men which hints at the idea that Latino men are good for strength. One of the key points mentioned in class by the professor was that individuals will feel motivated if they see other individuals that look like them in position of power. This also serves as affirmation that society is not working against them and success is possible. Open-ended Question: Would young Latinos benefit from schools that provide programs in which they are able to explore their cultural identity? Title: “Disconnections in “American” Citizenship and the Post/neo-colonial People of Mexican Descent and Whitestream Pedagogy and Curriculum” Author: Luis Urrieta Jr. Education seems to be the root of most issues for Latin individuals. According to the article, this is due to the way in which some of these Latin countries were conquered. The article states, “Schools was undeniably a part of the conquering enterprise” (Urreita 114). Once the country was conquered then their schools were reformatted and diminished what was the traditional way of teaching including language. The colonizers then became those seen as the superior race, which also served as an incentive to become assimilated in order to leave their culture behind. From this entire process emerged the concept of inferiority. Lastly, the author points out that “This lack of critical recognition of non-white people in the whitestream curriculum creates disconnections with ‘American’ citizenship” (Urrieta 125). Becoming assimilated and considering oneself as Americanized means that the individual has to relate to the American ways, however, this is impossible since Latinos are constantly labeled as different. Open-ended question: Do Latinos, as a whole, still see their culture as inferior and if so does this affect their pride in their roots? WEEK 4 Title: “The Struggle for Language Rights: Naming and Interrogating the Colonial Legacy of ‘English Only’” Authors: Lilia I. Bartolome The author’s main argument is that there is an obvious language rights issue taking place in the United States. Bartolome speaks from experience when she explains some of her frustration as a Spanish speaker in a school where that was frowned upon. This Mexican woman, for many years, felt like she was in a “permanent state of cultural homelessness” (Bartolome 133). She was only able to let go of these emotions through the work of another writer, Gloria Anzaldua. This writer examines how to become more accepting of one’s culture. One way to do this is to find your own voice and speak about your experiences on your own, not letting others speak for you especially those of the dominant culture. Another way is to change the way history is seen and taught by questioning what is society teaching our children. Society, for centuries, has attempted to maintain the idea that “white is better than brown-something that some people of color never will unlearn” (Bartolome 135). Race and culture should never be reasons as to why a large number of individuals are unable to succeed. Open-ended question: Could the English-Only policy be an explanation for other countries being ahead of the United States in terms of Science and Math? If yes, why hasn’t the Board of education noticed this trend? Title: “The Politics of Restrictive Language Policies: A Postcolonial Analysis of Language and Schooling” Author: Antonia Darder and Miren Uriarte This article discusses language policies that have been implemented in schools and have therefore become an issue for English-learners. The article states that Racism is used as a “political strategy of exclusion, domination, and exploitation…” (Darder 143). The authors also demonstrate that there are some factors that need to be considered in terms of socioeconomic conditions when speaking about English-learning students and their success rate. Those factors are related to job security, income, poverty, and incarceration. The authors also points out that the success of a small number of Latino students who are able to surpass these educational challenges placed are then considered exceptional and brilliant in comparison to their peers; this is society’s way of not facing an issue and blaming it on the individuals. Open-ended question: 1) Why is there no interest in increasing the child’s cognitive abilities instead of blaming their developmental growth? 2) If this country wants to be more efficient against other countries, why continue to exploit other countries instead of funding schools to build innovative thinkers?
Harvest of the Empire is a valuable tool to gaining a better understanding of Latinos. This book helps people understand how varied Latino’s in the United States are. The author also helped give insight as to how Americans reacts to differences within itself. It does this by giving a description of the struggles that every Latino immigrant faced entering the United States. These points of emphasis of the book were explained thoroughly in the identification of the key points, the explanation of the intersection of race, ethnicity, and class, in addition to the overall evaluation of the book.
Mexican immigrants in the United States are willing to work hard and long hours throughout the day regardless of the amount of sleep or rest they may get. Conversely, this is not how Efren Mendoza, a public city bus driver, views Mexicans and he believes they are not motivated to achieve things in life. One would assume that he would understand how difficult it is for immigrants to assimilate in a new foreign country without knowing anyone or anything here, but he is not on their side and it is somewhat hypocritical of him because he himself is Mexican. It is as though Efren sees his own people as invisible individuals because he does not acknowledge all their hard work and sacrifices they may have gone through in order to arrive in the United States. He further proves his insincerity when he mentions that the “new wetbacks [are] picky about what jobs they’ll do [and that they] half-ass [the] work” that they are given to do (77).
The Latino Threat is a concept of an imposing threat of the Latino, whether they be from Mexico or any other Latin country, and how they affect the U.S. and its citizens. This concept is described heavily Leo R. Chavez’ book aptly titled The Latino Threat. In the book, he describes how the Latino threat as a concept has been used routinely to underline the aspect of United States citizenship in a tit for tat manner; that being dehumanizing the Latino to raise the standing of U.S. citizenship. The U.S. as a nation believes it should feel better about itself because it is the one that turns people away rather than being the place where people run from. Over the history of America this isolationist views on illegal immigrants has waned and contrast
In order to understand the current situation of Puerto Ricans one must look at their history and retrace the sequence of events that led to the current formation of the Puerto Rican people. An important component of this history is the time Puerto Rico spent under Spanish rule. Studying this portion of Puerto Rican history forces us to acknowledge the contribution the Spaniards, European immigrants, and African slaves had on Puerto Rican identity as we consider it today. This also addresses contemporary debates on Puerto Rican identity. An example of this is evident in an essay written by Jose Luis Gonzales entitled "Puerto Rico : Th Four Storied Country". In the article Gonzales points out what he feels is a disregard toward the African contribution to the Puerto Rican identity. He argues that the first Puerto Ricans were black , based on his interpretation that Africans were the first group to come to Puerto Rico and reproduce who did not have ties to a "motherland" because they were slaves. This is unlike the Spaniard elites and Criolles that demonstrated their commitment and loyalty to Spain. Since they had no other place to go, Puerto Rico was their motherland. Gonzalez also points out that the culture of a region is always the culture of the elite, not the popular culture.
Los Angeles was the place to find work if laboring was all you knew. Not speaking a word of English, but able to labor in the fields of California's various crops, Mexican immigrants flocked to Los Angeles. Los Angeles quickly became a Mecca for Mexicans wishing to partake of the American dream establishing themselves and creating families. The American dream, however, became just a dream as harsh unequal assessments by white Americans placed Mexican-Americans at the bottom of the social, economic, and political ladders. Whites believed that Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans had no place in their society: a place shared by many minorities (Del Castillo 7). Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans in Los Angeles were at a great disadvantage despite their great numbers. No representation existed for the minorities.
Gonzalez, Juan. Harvest of Empire a History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2000.
Since the 1960’s, Latino communities have experienced the implicit and explicit effects of racism through various social institutio...
As people immigrated to the United States, legally and illegally, particularly Hispanic workers, they began to look for jobs to provide for their families. They took jobs that Americans did not want: they accepted the low-paying, physically-demanding, and temporal agriculture jobs. Since many did not speak English and were uneducated, some even illiterate, they were easy targets for farm owners to exploit. Immigrant workers were often not paid, had low wages, and because of such conditions, some even died. In addition, they also lived and worked in appalling conditions, some workplaces did not even have suitab...
As the Latino population in the United States continues to grow, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, increasing attention is being turned toward understanding the risk and protective factors of immigrant Latino and U.S.-born Latino children and families. The demographic data relating to Latinos in the United States estimate that one of every two people added to the U.S population was Latino, in July 2009 Latino population was the fastest growing minority group U.S Census Bureau, 2010. Despite the increased risk of growing the immigrant families are in lower risk of Social Economic Status, having parents with less education and limited with language and knowledge about education. Immigrating to one place to another is often the most stressful event
Immigration has always been an issue in the United States, which is often portrayed as harmful and as major threat to American culture. As a result, various anti immigration policies have been aimed against immigrants in order to prevent and preserve the miscegenation of American culture, such as English only policies. Among the largest minority groups in the U.S, are Latinos who currently compose of 15% of the U.S population (Delgado and Stefancic 3). Unfortunately, Latinos have been accused of taking American benefits, jobs, and have wrongfully been depicted as a result of not assimilating to American culture. Latinos are often accused of resisting assimilation, but what has failed to be acknowledged is that there are obstacles set in place that are preventing Latinos from completely assimilating. Among those greatest obstacles there is discrimination. Institutional as well as individual discrimination have prevented many Latinos from feeling a sense of belonging. As a result Latinos have been reluctant to assimilate. Another major component is proximity. Many Latinos are native to nearby countries which allows for easy communication with family members as well as their culture. Moreover, it also allows for a constant influx of immigrants that replenish and preserve Latino cultures and traditions in the U.S. Lastly, Latino movements are working diligently to promote unity among communities for the purpose of creating a sense of identity and pride amongst Latinos, such as the Chicano movement.
Latinos have struggled to discover their place inside of a white America for too many years. Past stereotypes and across racism they have fought to belong. Still America is unwilling to open her arms to them. Instead she demands assimilation. With her pot full of stew she asks, "What flavor will you add to this brew?" Some question, some rebel, and others climb in. I argue that it is not the Latino who willingly agreed to partake in this stew. It is America who forced her ideals upon them through mass media and stale history. However her effort has failed, for they have refused to melt.
Kanellos, Nicolás, Felix M- Padilla, and Claudio Esteva Fabregat, eds. Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Sociology. Houston: Arte Publico Press, 1994. Print.
Mexican workers are usually the most economically and politically oppressed out of most ethnic categories. As stated in earlier responses, since the expansion of capitalism and industrialization, Mexican workers were preferred to work the low wage, high demanding jobs. Currently, this is often still the case. Due to their immigrant status and their lack of documentation, it is easy to take advantage of Mexican immigrants because they produce cheap labor and can easily be replaced. Even since the late 1900s, Mexican workers were discriminated by being paid less than whites. In fact, Mexican workers were left in low wage positions for a lengthy period of time. Even after President Roosevelt had established an anti-discrimination
Americans have pursued negative stereotypes specifically with Hispanics as a way to give Latinos a racial value that separates them from Americans. This results in Latino Americans feeling like they aren’t “American enough” and they aren’t welcomed in their own country. A lot of the stereotypes that are given to Hispanics are mainly negative and meant to give a name for a whole ethnicity. A very common
Latinos face a lot of discrimination when they come to the united stated or they try to assimilate to the American culture. Most immigrants have to deal with the police investigating them because they think they are all drug dealers or are in some type of illegal organization. They also have to deal with people calling them names because of their skin color. Americans also accuse Hispanics of stealing their jobs (Ramos, 53). They also face seeing racist graffiti on homes or wall of a building and they have to face hate crimes (Plunkett, 15). They sometimes get excluded from white communities (Plunkett, 39). Latinos are also blamed for serious problems the country faces (Ramos, 195). There are reasons for Americans to discriminate Latinos and reasons why they shouldn’t discriminate them.