|
View the H-Ethnic Discussion Logs by month
View the Prior Message in H-Ethnic's January 2013 logs by: [date] [author] [thread] View the Next Message in H-Ethnic's January 2013 logs by: [date] [author] [thread] Visit the H-Ethnic home page.
two responses From: Alejandro Hernández <leksleks@yahoo.com> Hi Nelly, I'm a Latino person. I'm currently a PhD student (Sociology) at Carleton University (Ottawa), and my previous research (for my MA) was about the shaping of Latino young people's identity (Mexicans and Colombians) due to migration in Vancouver. Your question is interesting because it refers to a complex issue due to the particular identifications people have about themselves and those that other people imposed onto them. Therefore, it is not easy to define it from only one side of the spectrum. Certainly, the US is a little bit different from Canada in terms of Latino/a's experiences. Here in Canada, Anglo-Saxon people identify Latino people as 'Spanish' under the argument that we speak Spanish. For some people, this approach ignores those Latinos/as who do not speak Spanish but identify themselves as Latinos/as. I particularly find this concept of 'Spanish' quite curious because we are certainly not from Spain, as much as I'm pretty sure Anglo-Saxon people who identify as Canadians would disagree if I'd call them English people. It is also true that other people who grew up in the Latin America region do not identify as Latinos/as, Hispanics, etc. at all, but as Mayas, Quechuas, etc., according to their ethnic roots. Among these circles, they understand the term Latino as a colonial imposition. In general, my experience in Canada is that the Latino term has been broadly used, accepted and incorporated among people that were born and/or feel part of the Latin America region. In my case, I relate the concept of Hispanic only to Univision and Sabado Gigante, but nothing else. As per the name of the program, it would be interesting if it describes the motion and complexity of identity(es) rather than delimiting it with a closed name. This would also allow for a more comprehensive examination and understanding of these identity complexities rather than privileging one name over the others in detriment of excluded identities due to colonialism, racism, etc. Alejandro. --------- from Ron Schultz U of Wyoming Our campus is somewhat unusual, perhaps, in specifically orienting our Chicano Studies Program toward Mexico and people of Mexican descent. This has to do with several factors, one important one being that the Program was created nearly two decades ago as a response to large-scale and persistent organization on the part of the state's Chicano/a community. Chicanos/as are the largest ethnic group in the state (about 4%) as well as in the campus community. Interestingly, our Women's Studies and African American Studies Department have recently broadened their scope, becoming Gender and Women's Studies and African American and Diaspora Studies, respectively. Our American Indian Studies Program has always been inclusive. These programs have been in place for nearly 30 years. I don't think Latino is a very widely used term in the Mountain West; Chicano and Hispanic seem to dominate both public and private conversations in this part of the world. It's a difficult decision--best of luck! Ron Ron Schultz Professor and Director of Graduate Studies Department of History University of Wyoming cognitivehistory@gmail.com --30--
 Humanities & Social Sciences Online 
|