Article

Why We Like to Call Ourselves Latinas

Authors
Cristina González
University of California, Davis
Patricia Gándara
UCLA Graduate School of Education
Published

Summary

Abstract: This article discusses the complex and subtle reasons why many people of Spanish-speaking ancestry—both Latin Americans and Spaniards—like to call themselves “Latinos.” Among other things, this word, coined by the Mediterranean countries to resist Anglo dominance in the 19th century, is currently being used by people of Spanish-speaking ancestry in the United States to express ethnic pride. Thus, the choice of the term “Latinos” over “Hispanics” moves the focus from a pan-ethnic historical identity to contemporary struggles for equality and the racialization of people of Spanish-speaking ancestry in the United States.

Resumen: Este manuscrito trata de las complejas y sutiles razones por las que muchos individuos con antepasados hispano parlantes (tanto de América Latina como de España) se complacen en llamarse “latinos.” Entre otras cosas, esta palabra acuñada por los países mediterráneos para resistir la dominación inglesa en el siglo XIX, es usada hoy por gente de origen hispano parlante para expresar orgullo étnico. Por lo tanto, la elección del término “latinos” sobre “hispanos” cambia la perspectiva desde una identidad histórica y pan-étnica, a las luchas contemporáneas por la igualdad y a la racialización de las personas con antepasados hispano parlantes en los Estados Unidos de América.

This article was originally published in the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education by SAGE Publications.

Suggested citation
González, C., & Gándara, P. (2005, October). Why we like to call ourselves Latinas [Article]. Policy Analysis for California Education. https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/why-we-call-ourselves-latinas