1. An Introduction to Latino Politics
Chapter 1

2. Census 2010 What is the Census?
Who conducts the Census?
Why is it important?
What is the information derived from the Census utilized for?
U.S. Census in relation to Latino Politics in the United States:
How are people classified, & what are the consequences & implications of the classification?

3. America’s Largest Minority Group
During the previous decade Latino’s have been pronounced as America’s largest minority group.
Such a “proclamation” has engendered* both a greater national presence & greater expectations w/in this community for influence & empowerment.
*Engendered (to develop)

4. Census 2010 cont’d
The classification method selected has a direct bearing on:
Civil Rights
Voting Rights
Program-participation monitoring
as well as on how the government determines who Hispanics/Latinos are.
At the same time, a count has much greater political significance beyond the #s of Latinos living in the United States.

5. Census & Public Law 85-983 Public Law 85-983:
Established the “Spanish origin” designation for purposes of federal data collection.
Combining persons from twenty-two countries of origin into a single category.

6. Latinos & Their Politics
Latinos & their politics reflect a community that is being influenced by:
Latino elites & organizations
“mass” intergroup interactions
the mass media &
Governmental policies & agencies
Regardless of the origin of the Latino/Hispanic concept:
the idea of a group of peoples tied together by language, cultural values, & practices, similar histories in the U.S., & public policies
is clearly visible on the American landscape, & its political ramifications are very dynamic.

7. National Origin v. Pan-ethnicity
Critical to discussion of Latinos & the American political system is:
Examination of both the basis & construction of identity
& the salience* of group identification.
Central dimension affecting Latinos residing in the U.S. informs the nature & basis for community among a collection of persons from 20+ national-origin groups.
*salience (projection)

8. National Origin v. Pan-ethnicity
Most Latinos think of themselves in terms of their own national-origin group.
(Honduran, Cuban, Argentine, etc.)
This subgroup identification is an important component of the core definition of community.

9. National Origin v. Pan-ethnicity
Refers to a sense of group affinity & identification that transcends one’s own national-origin group.
Thus, a pan-ethnic identity does not necessarily replace one’s national-origin affinity but encompasses a broader configuration to define the group:
For instance, the terms Latino & Hispanic include several national origins.
Pan-ethnicity can also apply to a sociopolitical collectivity made up of people of several different national origins.

10. Pan-ethnicity cont’d Pan-ethnicity: Recent development
The “Hispanic” or “Latino” label has been serving as an important product in the formation of a Latino community.
However, it is the meaning beyond the use of the label that establishes a sense of working community & means of identifying:
common concerns
interests
& situations

11. The concept of Ethnicity
A collectivity within the larger society having a real or putative common ancestry,
memories of a shared historical past, and a cultural focus on one or more symbolic elements defined as the epitome of peoplehood.
Also ethnicity is seen as a web of sentiments, beliefs, worldviews, and practices that individuals hold in common.
Ethnicity lies w/in the core of one’s identity

12. Social Construct of Race
Usually refers to a group of persons who define themselves as distinct due to perceived common physical characteristics.
The sense or categorization of race is the result of:
self-identification,
institutional definitions of racial categories,
and organized segments that develop or construct ideas about and elements of racial membership.
One-drop rule pg. 3

13. Ethnicity v. Race
Race as a social product of human actions & decisions (Omni & Winant)
Most cases membership in a racial group has direct consequences
In the case of Latinos, members can categorized into racial as well as ethnic groups & targeted for specific policies or governmental actions
Ethnic groups deal w/ group attachments connected to descent
This reinforces the socially constructed basis of ethnicity.
What makes ethnicity distinctive is that this shared affinity serves as the basis for community formation.

14. Ethnicity v. Race Movement across racial boundaries:
restricted by social traditions & customs versus movement across ethnic categories
For ethnic individuals, the distinction by the larger society may also be externally imposed
Race becomes a way in which defining & assigning differential status is associated w/ power, control, inferiority, & majority-minority-group status.
Pg. 4 Census example

15. Power Relations
Race & ethnicity overlap concerning a sense of group identity & the nature of power relations:
Focus on political resources, agenda setting, organizational development, leadership & mobilization, authority, influence & legitimacy.
Power is distributed among individuals & groups in society, & power relationships deal w/ the use of power & interactions between groups & individuals.

16. Ethnic Identity Ethnic identity:
A set of self-ideas about one’s ethnic group membership, which includes knowledge, feeling, and preferences about one’s ethnicity.
It includes a sense of self as a member of an ethnic group.
Viewed as primarily a matter of individual choice or circumstance
Influenced by sources external to the ethnic community
i.e. Voting Right Act of 1965

17. Voting Rights Act of 1965 VRA 1965:
Major policy initiative addressing long-standing practices that had served to exclude African Americans & other minorities from the electoral process:
What was utilized to bar suffrage:
Annual registration systems, literacy tests, hostile election poll locations, economic & physical intimidation of minority-group members, & limited registration locations & hours.

18. Voting Rights Act of 1965 cont’d
Key elements of VRA legislation:
Suspension of literacy tests
use of federal monitors
review of elected-related changes
the right for local persons or groups to mount legal challenges
& standards for voter dilution
The Voting Rights Act amendments later incorporated the concept of linguistic minorities & implemented bi- or multilingual voting materials & assistance.

19. Issue for Latino Subgroups
One issue confronting many Latino sub-communities is:
extent to which Latino subgroups are connected to one another
& whether an inclusive appeal to work on common causes will be effective

20. Use of Labels “Hispanic” or “Latino”:
Gives to the broader society a simpler picture of who persons of “Spanish origin” are & what they are about
Helps policy makers deal w/ their political world & the new demands made on it.
i.e. Bilingual Educational Programs
Consequently, a pan-ethnic grouping, w/ a much larger population base, can emphasize its need & use its sizable constituency to maintain & expand bilingual education programs.

21. Critical Factor for Community Building
The general climate & the broader public’s mood toward & awareness about Latinos.
Public concerns about:
Cultural & linguistic balkanization
Immigration swells
Multilingualism
& the like portray Latinos as problematic
Non-Latino communities see many Latinos as unwilling to Americanize & assimilate
Such concerns highlight their presence & increase the possible costs of being Latino
California’s Prop. 187

22. Lack of Research Latino politics found in many social contexts
Scholars have only begun to examine Latino community organizations and their political involvement
Where should the research start?
Pg. 5

23. Mobilization Mobilization:
The process by which political candidates, political parties, activists, & groups try to induce other people to participate & get involved.
Participation involved three key ingredients:
Resources
Psychological orientations
& recruitment
Pg. 6

24. Redistricting…why is it important?
A decennial process by which political jurisdictions reconfigure their electoral districts to meet standards of:
Equal size
Compactness
Contiguity
Maintain communities of interest
The redistricting plan can be implemented by the state legislature, a local governmental body, the courts, or an independent redistricting commission.
Pg. 6

25. Political Participation…who does it?
Involves the process of influencing the distribution of social goods & values.
The critical factors for involvement are:
Resources, time, opportunities, beliefs, values, ideology, & participatory political attitudes.
In addition, participation is affected by:
Organizations, leaders, and political parties
Which strategically choose to activate specific individuals &/or groups.
Pg. 6

26. English-only initiatives
Such initiatives establish English as the official language of a state & require that all official business & activities be conduced only in English.
Similar efforts have focused on the U.S. Congress for national legislation.
Such a policy & others of a similar nature weave a set of contributing factors that can bring people together for common purposes.

27. Community of Interests
Refers to the conditions, statuses, & experiences that Latinos share w/ members of other Latino subgroups.

28. Community of Common or Similar Cultures
Exists when individuals are linked closely by their participation in a common system of meaning with concomitant* patterns of customary interactions of culture (language, customs, art, etc.).
*Concomitant= concurrent

29. Structural Factors Structural Factors:
Have to do w/ the rules of the game & how political institutions function, especially focusing on:
access
individual or group legal standing
rights and protections
& the formal requirements for participation

30. Conclusions
Latino politics entails common bonds, experiences, conditions, & interests that bridge Latino subgroups for collective action on various occasions.
Latino politics at the local level is an active arena
It is important to establish definitions of ethnicity, identity, & community, as well as to analyze how political institutions, processes, policies, & political actors help shape the nature & substance of Latino politics.