Latinos: Remaking America (David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies) [Paperback]

Marcelo Suarez-Orozco (Editor), Mariela Páez (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2002 | Series: David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies

Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and will comprise a quarter of the country's population by mid-century. The process of Latinization, the result of globalization and the biggest migration flow in the history of the Americas, is indeed reshaping the character of the U.S. This landmark book brings together some of the leading scholars now studying the social, cultural, racial, economic, and political changes wrought by the experiences, travails, and fortunes of the Latino population. It is the most definitive and comprehensive snapshot available of Latinos in the United States today.
How are Latinos and Latinas changing the face of the Americas? What is new and different about this current wave of migration? In this pathbreaking book social scientists, humanities scholars, and policy experts examine what every citizen and every student needs to know about Latinos in the U.S., covering issues from historical continuities and changes to immigration, race, labor, health, language, education, and politics. Recognizing the diversity and challenges facing Latinos in the U.S., this book addresses what it means to define the community as such and how to move forward on a variety of political and cultural fronts. All of the contributions to Latinos are original pieces written especially for this volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This rich and varied collections gives content and analytic shape to the notion of a pan-ethnic Latino experience in the U.S. The authors use as markers a variety of shared socioeconomic conditions and immigration histories at the heart of these diverse experiences. Lations takes an important step toward carving out a field for empirical and theoretical specification."-Saskia Sassen, author of Guests and Aliens; "This is a landmark scholarly work in its scope, comprehensiveness, and excellence. It makes an important contribution to improving our understanding of the Latino experience in the United States."-Raul Yzaguirre, President of the National Council of La Raza; "Latinos brings together the most sophisticated thinking on the changing intellectual complexion of America. Drawing upon scholars in both the humanities and the social sciences, Latinos challenges us to redefine what we mean by 'American' culture and indeed 'America' itself. This book is necessary reading for all those who believe that a fully inclusive definition of American Studies is long overdue."-Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man

From the Inside Flap

"This rich and varied collection gives content and analytic shape to the notion of a pan-ethnic Latino experience in the U.S. The authors use as markers a variety of shared socioeconomic conditions and immigration histories at the heart of these diverse experiences. Latinos takes an important step toward carving out a field for empirical and theoretical specification."--Saskia Sassen, author of Guests and Aliens

"In this thought-provoking volume, scholars from a range of disciplines raise key questions about Latinos in the United States. Admirably complete and judiciously framed, Latinos breaks new ground as it presents this group's multiple experiences."--Cecilia Menjívar, author of Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks in America

"This outstanding book makes a highly significant contribution to scholarship on the fast-growing Latino population. There simply is no other book as comprehensive and well documented. Latinos will be read by a broad audience of academics (in social science, ethnic studies, policy, education, law), as well as policy makers and analysts trying to understand this group."--Pedro A. Noguera, author of The Imperatives of Power: Political Change and the Social Basis of Regime Support in Grenada from 1951-1991

"This is a landmark scholarly work in its scope, comprehensiveness, and excellence. It makes an important contribution to improving our understanding of the Latino experience in the United States."--Raul Yzaguirre, President of the National Council of La Raza

"Latinos brings together the most sophisticated thinking on the changing intellectual complexion of America. Drawing upon scholars in both the humanities and the social sciences, Latinos challenges us to redefine what we mean by 'American' culture and indeed 'America' itself. This book is necessary reading for all those who believe that a fully inclusive definition of American Studies is long overdue."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man

"How and why are Latin American immigrants changing the U.S. socially, culturally, economically, and politically? And how and why do Latino group experiences vary? This fascinating interdisciplinary collection of essays advances our understanding both of the main 'new immigrant' peoples of our time and of the 'new America.'"--Susan Eckstein, author of Power and Popular Protest: Latin American Social Movements

"The contributors, among the best in the world, raise absolutely riveting questions about immigration, residential segregation, voting behavior, workforce participation, education, gender, health status, and variations among Latino groups (Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and others). Latinos is essential reading for anyone who cares about the high ideals of liberty and justice for all."--Richard A. Shweder, author of Thinking Through Cultures: Expeditions in Cultural Psychology

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 502 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (June 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520234871
• ISBN-13: 978-0520234871
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a much-needed book on Latinos in America, August 1, 2007

By 

LARRY (Capitol Heights, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Latinos: Remaking America (David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies) (Paperback)

*Latinos: Remaking America* is heady stuff that is the perfect textbook for a Sociology class with an emphasis on Latinos. It's perfect because there are so many issues that this book addresses that readers can relate or connect to today's current events on Latinos. Such issues are education, language, religion, health, women, employment and many more. This book should serve as the bible of Latinos in America.

The reason I said it was heady stuff because there are a lot of statistics in the book. While I believe that statistics are important, I do have to say that some of the graphs are not "friendly".

However, I did wish that there were essays or articles by grassroot Latinos to give readers a "breather" from heavy reading. I took me over a month to read this detailed book. With Latinos constantly growing in America, I will not be surprised if this book has to be revised in the near future.