Hispanics, Latinos, or Americanos: the evolution of identity Written By Lillian Comas-Diaz Presented by Justin (Jay) Hutsell

Dr. Lillian comas-diaz Born in Chicago, Il. At age six, Diaz and her family moved to Puerto Rico. 1970 she received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the University of Puerto Rico. 1973 she received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology also from the University of Puerto Rico. 1979 she completed her Doctorate degree at the University of Massachusetts also in Clinical Psychology. PhD in 1979 she started work at Yale University’s Psychiatry department. Psychologists of color like Comas-Diaz have played essential roles in the difficult transition towards a more inclusive and less ethnocentric field of psychology. Ethnocentric: evaluating other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one's own culture.

A Taxonomic panorama Taxonomic: concerned with the classification of things, especially organisms Hispanic-United States designated terms for people of Spanish Origin. Latino-People originating from or having heritage related to Latin America. La Raza-”the race” Spanish speaking and Spanish-surnamed people in the United States. Hispano(a)- Individuals who trace their history to Spanish conquistadores and settlers. Spanish People-Frequently used in the United States to refer to ANYONE who speaks Spanish. Americano(a)- Group of people bound together by their languages and traditions, much like America.

Hispano(a) 1494-Spanish conquistadores and settlers who arrived. Occupied and dominated what is known today as Mexico, California, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona in the 1600s-1800s. Creole Spanish-Native American race Closed and conservative group. Hispanos may have descendants of persecuted Jews who fled Spain during 16th and 17th centuries seeking refuge. “Cryptic or crypto Jews,” meaning hidden Jews

Specific or national terms Mexican- The term used appropriately for Mexican citizens who vis or work in the United states. Mexican American-Individuals of Mexican descent who are US citizens. Chicano(a)- Brown Power movement of the 60s and 70s adopted this designation with a sense of pride. Xicano(a)- Derives from Nahautl (I tried) pronunciation of Mexica or Mexicanos. Boricua- Puerto Rico Nuyorican- Puerto Ricans born in the United States (New York City). If they are born outside of NY they would be called Ricans. Rican- Second and third generation of Puerto Ricans in the US. LatiNegro(a)- African Latino(a) perceived beyond any doubt as Black by both North American and Latino Communities. Caribeno(a)- Latinos from the Caribbean.

Chicano(a) & Xicano a) Chicano(a)- There are two theories of its etymology origin. 1. Origin traces from 1930s-40s when indigenous Mexicans came to the US as seasonal migrant workers. 2. In vulgar Spanish it is common to use the “ch” conjunction in place of certain consonants to create a term of endearment. Xicano(a)- Indigenous people commonly referred to as Aztecs. Replaces the ‘Ch’ in Chicano. The ‘X’ affirms indigenous heritage.

La raza cosmica/ the cosmic race As early as 1925 Jose Vasconcelos presented this racial theory. The future of humankind. Reflects a plural, dynamic and evolving transformation. Latino identity evolution underscores mestizaje, or the mixing of races to produce new ones. The group continues searching or evolution of identity.

Thoughts “Identity is the number-one national problem here.” (Hoffman, 1989, p. 262) I can relate to this on a personal level. I learned so much from this reading. Answered a lot of questions I had.