Abstract
Keywords
Latinos Facing Racism: Discrimination, Resistance, and Endurance is a new addition to the study of Latino(a) immigrants and their racialized experiences in the United States. In this book, drawing upon the theoretical perspective of white racial framing, Feagin and Cobas used data from 72 in-depth interviews of Latino(a)s to provide the readers with empirical analyses of the century-old racism experienced by Latino(a) immigrants. The authors argued that white racial framing is embedded in the entire society, putting minority groups in an inferior status and forcing them to conform to the dominant white culture. Only by recognizing the systematic racism in the society can we fully understand Latino(a)s’ experiences in US society.
The United States has the second largest Latino(a) population, only smaller than that of Mexico. The changing demographic profile of US society is challenging the dominant ‘white core culture and associated white-run institutions’ (p. 153). On the other hand, the rapid growth of the Latino(a) population has triggered many public debates on their languages, cultures, and, finally, whether they will be assimilated into the host society like earlier immigrants from European countries. Although numerous studies have shed light on contemporary Latino(a) immigrants using large-scale data such as censuses, there are not as many qualitative studies focusing on Latino(a) immigrants’ life experiences. Among them, the majority focused on working-class Latino(a)s. Feagin and Cobas’s book helps close this gap by examining the distinctive life experiences of middle-class Latino(a)s. The in-depth interviews employed in the book provide us with a new angle to look at the racial oppression experienced by most Latino(a)s and other minority groups.
The book consists of seven chapters. It starts with criticism of the assimilation tradition and its impact on immigrants and their descendants. In line with the social construction of race, the traditional one-way assimilation perspective puts the Anglo white ethnic group on top of other people, resulting in a racial hierarchy. The authors discuss the racialization of Latino(a)s in US society since the westward expansion in the 1800s. They argue that the white racial framing in society leads to unequal access to societal resources for the dominant group and the minority groups. The white racial frame has maintained and perpetuated this racial hierarchy for centuries. Today, Mexican immigrants and other Latino(a)s are often regarded as the undesirable immigrants. The persistent racial oppression toward immigrants of color not only denies them opportunities to advance in society, but also creates self-hatred among these groups, leading to oppression toward themselves.
To fully examine the everyday barriers faced by Latino(a)s, in Chapter 2, Feagin and Cobas begin with the discussion of white fears of the Spanish language and how Spanish is conceptualized negatively. Based on extensive analyses of interview data, the authors argue that Latino(a)s frequently experience ‘racial-linguistic aggression’ (p. 46). In other words, due to hostility toward Spanish, whites use various strategies to prevent Latino(a)s from speaking their own language. For example, Latino(a)s are often told by whites to stop speaking Spanish in the public sphere; whites constantly show suspicion toward Latino(a)s when they speak Spanish; question their English skills; or totally ignore them in social settings. The ways that Spanish is denigrated show that whites tend to see themselves as authorities to judge others. As a result, Spanish speakers are often regarded as ‘foreigners’ who do not belong in the United States, and they are inferior to ‘Americans’ because they do not speak English.
In Chapter 3, drawing upon Bourdieu, De Genova, and Ramos-Zayas’s concept of social space (p. 71), Feagin and Cobas elaborate on how Latino(a)s are prejudiced and discriminated against in public spaces. As an inevitable consequence of the white racial frame, minority groups live in a racially hierarchal social space. The authors provide narratives from interviews to show white fears about Latino(a)s taking over ‘their’ space. Latino(a)s are often scrutinized by police officers, border guards, salespersons, etc. The racialized social space, just like the denigrated Spanish, implicitly shows that Latino(a)s are at the bottom of the racial ladder.
The racial oppression exists not only outside the Latino(a) group, but inside the group as well. Chapter 4 discusses how some Latino(a)s adapt and conform to the white racial frame as a result of one-way assimilation. They internalize the anti-Latino(a) frame and impose oppression on other Latino(a)s. Moreover, they tend to look at other minority groups, especially blacks, from a white perspective and adopt a color-based racism. It becomes a vicious cycle perpetuating the systematic racism toward people of color. The internalization of the white perspective can also be revealed by the divided attitudes toward Affirmation Action from Latino(a) respondents (Chapter 5). Whereas some Latino(a)s believe Affirmative Action offers opportunities for minority groups and helps defy discrimination, some Latino(a)s take a negative view toward it, stating it promotes incompetents and just fills quotas, and do not realize that whites have been given privileges over generations. It further illustrates the fact that whites benefit most from this white racial frame at the cost of other minority groups.
There is oppression, there is resistance. Chapter 6 is devoted to Latino(a)s’ resistance toward the systematic racialization they face in US society. With the great demographic shift, many Latino(a)s have recognized the anti-Latino(a) sentiment expressed among the public and are pressing for social justice for themselves and other minority groups. In the final chapter, the authors revisit the concept of assimilation, and look forward to a more democratic society where multiculturalism can be truly cherished.
The book has a coherent organization. It centers on the discussion of the white racial frame and how it has negatively affected Latino(a)s and other minorities. The authors have managed a good balance between theoretical argument and empirical analyses. The extensive interview data provide a vivid picture of how Latino(a)s truly feel about this racialized society and their endurance and resistance toward prejudice and discrimination. It is a great addition to the literature for students studying Latino(a) immigrants and their descendants.