Race, Racialization, and Latino Populations in the United States

This chapter examines how racial formation during the colonial era shapes patterns of racialization between and among Latino ethnic groups today. It first discusses the racialization of Latinos in the United States before assessing the conundrums of racial identity among the Latino population. It then considers the changing meaning of race and racial categories for Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans in relation to categories of gender, sexuality, and indigeneity. It argues that while Latinos do not fit neatly within American racial categories, they often “have far less trouble racializing one another,” as evidenced in the pejorative stereotyping that Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans often apply to each other's racial identities.