Changing Race: Latinos, the Census, and the History of Ethnicity in the United States (Critical America Series)

An introduction to the dynamic complexity of American ethnic life and Latino identity Latinos are the fastest growing population group in the United States.Through their language and popular music Latinos are making their mark on American culture as never before. As the United States becomes Latinized, how will Latinos fit into America's divided racial landscape and how will they define their own racial and ethnic identity? Through strikingly original historical analysis, extensive personal interviews and a careful examination of census data, Clara E. Rodriguez shows that Latino identity is surprisingly fluid, situation-dependent, and constantly changing. She illustrates how the way Latinos are defining themselves, and refusing to define themselves, represents a powerful challenge to America's system of racial classification and American racism.

Latinos are the fastest growing population group in the United States.Through their language and popular music Latinos are making their mark on American culture as never before. As the United States becomes Latinized, how will Latinos fit into America's divided racial landscape and how will they define their own racial and ethnic identity?

Through strikingly original historical analysis, extensive personal interviews and a careful examination of census data, Clara E. Rodriguez shows that Latino identity is surprisingly fluid, situation-dependent, and constantly changing. She illustrates how the way Latinos are defining themselves, and refusing to define themselves, represents a powerful challenge to America's system of racial classification and American racism.

I Fluidity Of Race -- 1 Latinos In The U.s. Race Structure 3 -- 2 Idea Of Race 27 -- 3 Stories Of Self-definition 47 -- Ii Historical Constructions -- 4 Whites And Other Social Races 65 -- 5 Shifting Color Line 87 -- 6 Race In The Americas 106 -- Iii Race And The Census -- 7 Other Race Option 129 -- 8 Redefining Race In 2000 153 -- Appendix A Data Limitations And The Undercount 177 -- Appendix B Biological Concept Of Race In The United States 182 -- Appendix C A Technical Oversight Or Racial Flux? 187 -- Appendix D Free People Of Color 193. Clara E. Rodriguez. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 229-263) And Index.