Making Hispanics：How Activists, Bureaucrats & Media Constructed A New American

HowdidPuertoRicans,Mexicans,andCubansbecomeknownas“Hispanics”and“Latinos”intheUnitedStates?Howdidseveraldistinctculturesandnationalitiesbecomeportrayedasone?CristinaMoraanswersboththesequestionsanddetailsthescopeofthisphenomenoninMakingHispanics.Sheusesanorganizationallensandtraceshowactivists,bureaucrats,andmediaexecutivesinthe1970sand'80screatedanewidentitycategory—andbydoingso,permanentlychangedtheracialandpoliticallandscapeofthenation.SomearguethattheseculturesarefundamentallysimilarandthattheSpanishlanguageisanaturalbasisforaunifiedHispanicidentity.ButMorashowsveryclearlythattheideaofethnicgroupingwashistoricallyconstructedandinstitutionalizedintheUnitedStates.Duringthe1960census,reportsclassifiedLatinAmericanimmigrantsas“white,”groupingthemwithEuropeanAmericans.Notonlywasthisdecisioncontroversial,butalsoLatinoactivistsclaimedthatthisclassificationhinderedtheirabilitytoportraytheirconstituentsasunderrepresentedminorities.Therefore,theycalledforaseparateclassification:Hispanic.Oncethesepopulationscouldbequantified,businessessawopportunitiesandthemediaresponded.Spanish-languagetelevisionbegantoexpanditsreachtoservethenowlarge,andnewlyunified,Hispaniccommunitywithnewsandentertainmentprogramming.Througharchivalresearch,oralhistories,andinterviews,Morarevealsthebroad,national-levelprocessthatledtotheemergenceofHispanicityinAmerica.