Is “Latino” a race or an ethnicity? As sociologists, we are quick to refer to “Latino” as an ethnicity, but will just as easily include “Latino” as a racial category next to “White,” “Black,” and “Asian.” So, which is it? And why does it matter?
Wendy D. Roth tackles this question in her recent special feature on The Society Pages “Creating a ‘Latino’ Race.” This feature would be a great addition to any discussion of race and ethnicity in the United States and how those categories have evolved over time for White, Asian and Latino immigrants and citizens. This topic would be ideal for the first weeks of a course on Race and Ethnicity or to introduce the topic in an Intro to Sociology class. This would also be a good topic for a Research Methods class when discussing how we classify racial categories and why this practice can be controversial.
Use the following activity in class to get a conversation going about race, ethnicity and Latino identity:
First, hand out an example of the Census questions on race and ethnicity. Have students fill them out on their own. Then ask:
1. Did you feel that the available categories on this form lined up with your own racial and ethnic identity? Why or why not?
2. Do you think that having “Hispanic” as an ethnicity and not a race makes sense? Why or why not?
3. What benefits do you see to having “Hispanic” listed as an ethnicity? What drawbacks?
4. What might you change about this form if you could? Do you believe there are better ways to classify people racially?
Then, start a conversation about Roth’s finding using these questions:
1. According to Roth’s research, how is the way that Puerto Rican and Dominican migrants understand race and ethnicity quite different from how Americans traditionally think of race and distinguish it from ethnicity?
2. When Latino immigrants come to the United States, how do they fit into the racial classifications already in place (now and in the past)? How do these classifications not line up with how they identify themselves?
3. According to Roth’s finding, how does the experience of Latinos in the United States differ based on skin color? What does this say about race and racism in the United States?
4. Why have many Latino immigrants seen it as advantageous to remain “bicultural” instead of “passing” for (non-Hispanic) white?
5. Why is the Latino race/ethnicity question a controversial topic? Why does it matter if Latino people are understood as an “ethnicity” or as a “race” by the US government? What might this potential change mean for Latino Americans? How would such a change disrupt notions of strict racial categories held by many Americans?
Comments 2
Azizi Powell — April 8, 2013
Under your "start a conversation about Roth’s finding using these questions" category, it seems to me that:
Question 3's reference to "light skinned" and "dark skinned" Latinos might be interpreted as if there are only "light skinned" and "dark skinned" Latinos. That isn't true. Also, individuals' definition of "light skinned" and "dark skinned" differ, particularly across races and ethnicities.
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Question 4 would be better phrases as "Light-skinned Latinos may have the ability to “pass for white” in the United States.
However "passing for Whitee" implies that those people aren't really White. Of course, the main reasons why light skinned Latinos wouldn't be considered really White is White people's insistence that a person can't belong to the White race unless he or she has no other ancestry but what people in the USA now regard as White [in other words that person has to be "pure White"].
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In the last sentence in Question 5 "How would such a change disrupt our American notions of strict racial categories?", who is "our"? I think that "our" reflects the White default that is too often found in the United States and on the Society pages blog.
For the purpose of discussion and consideration, I'd pose the question "Do White Americans have stricter notions of racial categories than Black Americans or other Americans?" As an African American, I believe so.
I also believe that were it not for White people, mixed race people in the USA could really choose which race or which races they wanted to belong to, and be accepted by others in those race or races.
Also, it seems to me that in the sentence "How would such a change disrupt our American notions of strict racial categories?" the word "disrupt" is loaded with negative connotations. Is it the position of this blog that "strict racial categories" are good? I suggest replacing the word "disrupt" with the connotation free word "change" or the connotation free words "result in revisions to".
Kia Heise — April 8, 2013
Thank you Azizi for your insightful comments. I've amended some of the questions based on your recommendations! Thanks for taking the time to read the blog and comment.