View source for Hispanic and Latino (ethnic categories)

{{short description|Ethnonyms used to refer to Hispanic or Latino Americans in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Original research |talk=Article is rife with original research |date=August 2019}}
''[[Hispanic]]'' and ''[[Latino (demonym)|Latino]]'' are [[ethnonyms]] used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the [[United States]] who are of [[Spaniards|Spanish]] or [[Latin American]] ancestry<ref name="pewresearch.org">{{cite web |last1=Krogstad |first1=Jens M. |last2=Passel |first2=Jeffrey S. |last3=Lopez |first3=Mark H. |date=23 September 2021 |title=Who is Hispanic? |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/23/who-is-hispanic/ |url-status=live |website=www.pewresearch.org |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929011446/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/23/who-is-hispanic/ |archive-date=29 September 2021 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> ({{Crossreference|see [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]]}}). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the [[United States Census Bureau]],<ref name="Census-2007">{{cite web|author=U.S. Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|date=February 2007|title=The American Community—Hispanics: 2004|url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2007/acs/acs-03.html|access-date=August 4, 2019|website=Census.gov}}</ref> others maintain a distinction: ''Hispanic'' refers to people from Spanish-speaking countries (including Spain but excluding Brazil), while ''Latino'' refers people from [[Latin American]] countries (including Brazil but excluding Spain and Portugal).''<ref>{{cite thesis|url=http://csuchico-dspace.calstate.edu/handle/10211.4/222|title=The Effects of Multicultural Dance on Self-Determination of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities|last=Thurman|first=Christie|type=MA|access-date=December 9, 2012|quote=Latino: People with roots in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Americas. This broader term, mostly used in the United States, is sometimes used as a replacement for Hispanic}}</ref>''<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last=Ramirez|first=Deborah A.|year=1993|title=Excluded Voices: The Disenfranchisement of Ethnic Groups from Jury Service|journal=[[Wisconsin Law Review]]|pages=761, 806|quote=[T]he term 'Latino' ... is more inclusive and descriptive than the term 'Hispanic.'}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Martinez|first1=Daniel E.|last2=Gonzalez|first2=Kelsey E.|date=2020|title='Latino' or 'Hispanic'? The Sociodemographic Correlates of Panethnic Label Preferences among U.S. Latinos/Hispanics|doi=10.1177/0731121420950371|journal=Sociological Perspectives|volume=64|issue=3|pages=365–386|s2cid=225258968}}</ref> Spain is included in the ''Hispanic'' category, and Brazil is included in the Latino category; Portugal is excluded from both categories. Every Latin American country is included in both categories, excluding Brazil.
''Hispanic'' was first used and defined by the U.S. [[Office of Management and Budget|Federal Office of Management and Budget]]'s (OMB) Directive No. 15 in 1977, which defined Hispanic as "a person of [[Mexicans|Mexican]], [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]], [[Cubans|Cuban]], [[Central America]] or [[South America]] or other [[Culture of Spain|Spanish culture]] or origin, regardless of [[Race (human categorization)|race]]." The term was formed out of a collaboration with [[Mexican Americans|Mexican-American]] political elites to encourage [[cultural assimilation]] into American society among all Hispanic/Latino peoples and move away from the anti-assimilationist politics of [[Chicano]] identity, which had gained prominence in the preceding decades through the [[Chicano Movement]]. The rise of Hispanic identity paralleled an emerging era of [[conservatism]] in the United States during the 1980s.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
''Latino'' first emerged at the local level through media outlets in the early 1990s. The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' was one of the first major newspapers to use the term ''Latino'' instead of ''Hispanic''. Some local [[Panethnicity|panethnic]] institutions and Spanish-language media adopted the term for community unity and political organizing. The emergence of ''Latino'' resulted in increasing criticism over ''Hispanic''. Many supporters of ''Latino'' argued that ''Hispanic'' was reasserting a colonial dynamic or relationship with Spain. Others argued that ''Hispanic'' failed to acknowledge [[mestizo]] culture and political struggle as well as erased the existence of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous]], [[Afro–Latin Americans|Afro-Latin American]], and [[Asian Latin Americans|Asian Latinos]] peoples throughout the Americas.<ref name=":1" /> ''Latino'' was also described as more inclusive.<ref name=":0" /> ''Latino'' was included along with ''Hispanic'' on the [[2000 United States census|2000 U.S. census]].<ref name=":1" />
There remains no definitive consensus over which term should be used, which has led to the rise of ''Hispanic/Latino'' and ''Hispanic and Latino'' as categorical terms often used by government institutions and prominent organizations.<ref name=":1" /> The choice between the terms is frequently associated with location: persons in the [[Eastern United States]] tend to prefer ''Hispanic'', whereas those in the [[Western United States|West]] tend to prefer ''Latino''.<ref name="OMB1997">{{cite web|date=October 30, 1997|title=Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. Federal Register Notice|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040208185224/http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 2004|access-date=June 1, 2012|work=[[Office of Management and Budget]]|publisher=[[White House|The White House]]}}</ref> According to a 2011 study by the [[Pew Research Center]], the majority (51%) of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] prefer to identify with their families' country of origin or [[nationality]], while only 24% prefer the terms ''Hispanic'' or ''Latino''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Taylor|first1=Paul|last2=Lopez|first2=Mark Hugo|last3=Martínez|first3=Jessica|last4=Velasco|first4=Gabriel|date=April 4, 2012|title=When Labels Don't Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity|url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-labels-dont-fit-hispanics-and-their-views-of-identity/|website=Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project}}</ref> Both ''Hispanic'' and ''Latino'' are generally used to denote people living in the United States. Outside of the United States, people living in Latin American countries usually refer to themselves by the names of their respective countries of origin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://psfaculty.ucdavis.edu/bsjjones/identity.ppt |title=The concept of 'Latino' is an American concept |format=ms powerpoint |access-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707133400/http://psfaculty.ucdavis.edu/bsjjones/identity.ppt |archive-date=July 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/December/200612081426421CJsamohT0.373089.html |title=New Survey Paints Vivid Portrait of U.S. Latinos |first=Jeffrey |last=Thomas |work=USINFO |date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=December 9, 2012 |quote=Being Latino is an American identity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021074306/http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/December/200612081426421CJsamohT0.373089.html |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Suárez-OrozcoPáez2008">{{cite book|author1=Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco|author2=Mariela Páez|title=Latinos: Remaking America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wN5rfPEV2HgC&pg=PR27-IA3|year=2008|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25827-3|page=xxvii|quote=The very term ''Latino'' has meaning only in reference to the U.S. experience. Outside the United States, we don't speak of Latinos; we speak of Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and so forth. Latinos are made in the USA.}}</ref>
==History==
{{lang|la|Hispanus}} was the Latin name given to a person from Hispania during [[Roman Empire|Roman rule]]. The ancient Roman [[Hispania]], which roughly comprised what is currently called the [[Iberian Peninsula]], included the contemporary states of [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], and [[Andorra]], and the [[British Overseas Territory]] of [[Gibraltar]] but excluding the Spanish and Portuguese overseas territories of [[Canary Islands]], [[Ceuta]], [[Melilla]], [[Açores]] and [[Madeira]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdPYaA4nG8QC&q=Nova+Hispania+Ulterior+Tingitana.&pg=PA266|title=Tingitana en la antigüedad tardía, siglos III-VII: autoctonía y romanidad en el extremo occidente mediterráneo|last=Vega|first=Noé Villaverde|publisher=[[Real Academia de la Historia]]|year=2001|isbn=978-84-89512-94-8|page=266|language=es|trans-title=Tingitana in late antiquity, the III-VII centuries: the autochthonous and Roman world in the west end of the Mediterranean. Which answers the million dollar question. Portuguese people are considered to be Hispanic because of the origin of the familial background.|access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c788wWR_bLwC&q=hispania+tingitania&pg=PA504|title=Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World|last1=Bowersock|first1=Glen Warren|last2=Brown|first2=Peter|last3=Grabar|first3=Oleg|date=1999|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-51173-6|page=504|access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=12w3qo2hkq4C&q=provinces++Hispania%2C++Tingitania&pg=PA231|title=Al-Andalus, Sepharad and Medieval Iberia: Cultural Contact and Diffusion|last=Corfis|first=Ivy A.|date=2009|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-17919-6|page=231|access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref>
The term ''Hispanic'' was adopted by the United States government in the early 1970s during the administration of [[Richard Nixon]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/essays/june97/rodriguez_6-18.html|title=A Cultural Identity|website=[[PBS]]|date=June 18, 1997|access-date=December 27, 2006|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101184849/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/essays/june97/rodriguez_6-18.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> after the Hispanic members of an interdepartmental Ad Hoc Committee to develop racial and ethnic definitions recommended that a universal term encompassing all Hispanic subgroups—including Central and South Americans—be adopted.<ref name=HuffLatinoHispanic>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/latino-or-hispanic_n_3956350.html Huffington Post: "Latino Or Hispanic? How The Federal Government Decided" By Grace Flores-Hughes] September 19, 2013</ref> As the [[1970 United States Census|1970 census]] did not include a question on Hispanic origin on all census forms—instead relying on a sample of the population via an extended form ("Is this person's origin or descent: Mexican; Puerto Rican; Cuban; Central or South American; Other Spanish; or None of these"),<ref>[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/index_of_questions/1970_population.html U.S. Census website: US Census History – 1970 (Population):] retrieved September 25, 2013</ref> the members of the committee wanted a common designation to better track the social and economic progress of the group vis-à-vis the general population.<ref name=HuffLatinoHispanic />
Legal scholar [[Laura E. Gómez]] notes that key members of the Mexican-American political elite with assimilationist ideologies, all of whom were middle-aged men, helped popularize the term ''Hispanic'' among the Mexican-American community, which in turn fueled both electronic and print media to use the term when referring to Mexican Americans in the 1980s. Gómez conducted a series of interviews with Mexican-American political elites on their role in promoting ''Hispanic'' and found that one of the main reasons was because it stood in contrast to [[Chicano]] identity: "The Chicano label reflected the more radical political agenda of Mexican-Americans in the 1960s and 1970s, and the politicians who call themselves Hispanic today are the harbringers of a more conservative, more accomadationist politics." Some of these elites sought to encourage cultural assimilation through ''Hispanic'' within their community and not be seen as "militant" in order to appeal to [[White Americans|white American]] sensibilities, particularly in regard to separating themselves from [[Black people|black]] political consciousness.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Gomez|first=Laura E.|date=Autumn 1992|title=The Birth of the 'Hispanic' Generation: Attitudes of Mexican-American Political Elites toward the Hispanic Label|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2633844|journal=Latin American Perspectives|volume=19|issue=4|pages=50–53|doi=10.1177/0094582X9201900405|jstor=2633844|s2cid=144239298|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Gómez records:
{{blockquote |Another respondent agreed with this position, contrasting his white colleagues' perceptions of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus with their perception of the Congressional Black Caucus. 'We certainly haven't been militant like the Black Caucus. We're seen as a power bloc—an ethnic power bloc striving to deal with mainstream issues.'<ref name=":2" />}}
The designation has since been used in local and federal employment, [[mass media]], academia, and business market research. It has been used in the [[U.S. Census]] since 1980.<ref name="historical census">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |author=Gibson, Campbell |author2=Jung, Kay |access-date=December 7, 2006 |date=September 2002 |work=Working Paper Series No. 56 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224151538/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=December 24, 2014  }}</ref> Because of the popularity of ''Latino'' in the western portion of the United States, the government adopted this term as well in 1997, and used it in the 2000 census.<ref name="OMB1997" /><ref name="overview">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/cenbr01-1.pdf |title=Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000 |last=Grieco |first=Elizabeth M. |author2=Rachel C. Cassidy |access-date=April 27, 2008 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
Previously, [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] were categorized as "Spanish-Americans", "Spanish-speaking Americans", or "Spanish-surnamed Americans". However:
* Although a large majority of Hispanic and Latino Americans have Spanish ancestry, most are not of direct, "from-Spain-to-the-U.S."<ref name="KanellosWeaver1994">{{cite book|author1=Nicolás Kanellos|author2=Thomas Weaver|author3=Claudio Esteva Fabregat|title=Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Anthropology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7hMsnIMQxN8C&pg=PA92|year=1994|publisher=Arte Publico Press|isbn=978-1-61192-161-8|page=92}}</ref><ref name="Wood2007">{{cite book|author=Jamie Martinez Wood|title=Latino Writers and Journalists|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TIlaa0cLu2AC&pg=PR7|year=2007|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-0785-1|page=7}}</ref> Spanish descent; many are not primarily of Spanish descent; and some are not of Spanish descent at all. People whose ancestors or who themselves arrived in the United States directly from Spain are a tiny minority of the Hispanic or Latino population (see figures in this article), and there are Hispanic/Latino Americans who are of other [[Ethnic groups in Europe|European ancestries]] in addition to [[Spanish people|Spanish]] (e.g., [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Italian people|Italian]], [[German people|German]], and Middle Eastern, such as the [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] or [[Palestinian people|Palestinians]]).<ref name=pewpatriots>{{cite web |url=http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/17.3.pdf |title=U.S. Latino Patriots: From the American Revolution to Afghanistan, An Overview |last=Rochin |first=Refugio I. |author2=Lionel Fernandez |access-date=September 20, 2013 |publisher=Pew Research Hispanic Center |archive-date=February 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227091931/http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/17.3.pdf |url-status=dead }} Latino denotes "the inclusion of the non-Spanish cultures of Latin America that have contributed immensely to the development and structure of present-day Latino cultural groups. These groups may include people of Latin American descent whose cultural heritage may be African, Asian, American Indian or indigenous, Middle Eastern and/or European."</ref>
* Most Hispanic and Latino Americans can speak Spanish, but not all, and most Spanish-speaking Americans are Hispanic or Latino, but not all. For example, Hispanic/Latino Americans often do not speak Spanish by the third generation, and some Americans who speak Spanish may not identify themselves with Spanish-speaking Americans as an ethnic group.
* Not all Hispanic and Latino Americans have [[Spanish naming customs|Spanish surnames]], and ''most'' Spanish-surnamed Americans are Hispanic or Latino, but not all, e.g., [[Filipino names|Filipino surnames]]. Those without Spanish surnames but of Hispanic or Latino origin include politician [[Bill Richardson]], former [[National Football League]] (NFL) star [[Jim Plunkett]], and actress [[Salma Hayek]].
== Usage of ''Hispanic'' ==
{{further|Hispanic}}
The term ''Hispanic'' has been the source of several debates in the United States. Within the United States, the term originally referred typically to the [[Hispanos of New Mexico]] until the U.S. government used it in the [[1970 United States Census|1970 Census]] to refer to "a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race."<ref name="Cobos-1">Cobos, Rubén (2003) "Introduction," ''A Dictionary of New Mexico & Southern Colorado Spanish'' (2nd ed.); Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press; p. ix; {{ISBN|0-89013-452-9}}</ref><ref name="OMB1997" /> The OMB did not accept the recommendation to retain the single term ''Hispanic''. Instead, the OMB has decided that the term should be "Hispanic or Latino" because regional usage of the terms differs. ''Hispanic'' is commonly used in the eastern portion of the United States, whereas ''Latino'' is commonly used in the western portion. Since the [[2000 United States Census|2000 Census]], the identifier has changed from "Hispanic" to "Spanish/Hispanic/Latino".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0075/twps0075.html#f1 |title=Identification of Hispanic Ethnicity in Census 2000: Analysis of Data Quality for the Question on Hispanic Origin, Population Division Working Paper No. 75 |last1=Crese |first1=Aruthur R. |last2=Schmidley |first2=Audrey Dianne |last3=Ramirez |first3=Roberto R. |at=Figure 1 |publisher=[[US Census Bureau]] |date=July 27, 2004|access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref>
Other federal and local government agencies and non-profit organizations include Brazilians and Portuguese in their definition of ''Hispanic''. The [[United States Department of Transportation|US Department of Transportation]] defines ''Hispanic'' as "persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American, or others [of] Spanish or Portuguese culture or origin, regardless of race."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/civilrights/faq.htm |publisher=US Department of Transportation Office of Civil Rights |title=What is a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)? |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109165512/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/civilrights/faq.htm |archive-date=January 9, 2010 }}</ref> This definition has been adopted by the [[Small Business Administration]] as well as by many federal, state, and municipal agencies for the purposes of awarding government contracts to minority-owned businesses.
The [[Congressional Hispanic Caucus]] (CHC)—which was organized in 1976 by five Hispanic Congressmen: Herman Badillo (NY), Baltasar Corrada del Río (PR), Kika de la Garza (TX), Henry B. Gonzalez (TX) and Edward Roybal (CA)—and the [[Congressional Hispanic Conference]] include representatives of Spanish and Portuguese descent. The [[Hispanic Society of America]] is dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], and [[Latin America]]. The [[Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities]], which proclaims itself the champion of Hispanic success in higher education, has member institutions in the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.
In a 2012 study, most Spanish speakers of Spanish or Latin American descent in the United States did not choose to use the terms ''Hispanic'' or ''Latino'' when describing their identity. Instead, they preferred to be identified by their country of origin. Over half of those surveyed said they had no preference for either term. When forced to choose, 33% chose ''Hispanic'' and 14% chose "Latino."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/04/04/study-most-hispanics-prefer-describing-identity-from-familys-country-of-origin/|title=Study: Most Hispanics Prefer Describing Identity From Family's Country Of Origin|date=April 4, 2012}}</ref>
A study done in 2009 shows that there is not a significant difference between the attitudes or preferences towards the terms among young (18–25) and older individuals. The statistical numbers are almost identical. Among the overall Hispanic population, young Hispanics prefer to identify themselves with their family's country of origin. Both groups prefer the term "American" versus "Latino/Hispanic". Yet, older Hispanics are more likely to identify as white than younger Hispanics.<ref name="PewCenter2013">{{cite web|author1=Pew Hispanic Center staff|title=Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America I. Overview and Executive Summary|url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/2009/12/11/between-two-worlds-how-young-latinos-come-of-age-in-america/|website=Hispanic.org|publisher=Pew Research Center: Hispanic Trends|access-date=June 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601101929/http://www.pewhispanic.org/2009/12/11/between-two-worlds-how-young-latinos-come-of-age-in-america/|archive-date=June 1, 2016|location=Washington, D.C.|date=July 1, 2013}}</ref> When it comes to the preference of ''Latino'' or ''Hispanic'', the younger subgroup is more likely to state that it does not matter. If they do have a preference, both groups prefer the term ''Hispanic'' rather than ''Latino''.<ref>{{cite web|title = U.S. Blacks, Hispanics Have No Preferences on Group Labels|url = http://www.gallup.com/poll/163706/blacks-hispanics-no-preferences-group-labels.aspx|website = www.gallup.com| date=July 26, 2013 |access-date = June 12, 2015|publisher=Gallup Inc.}}</ref>
== Origin of ''Latino'' ==
{{further|Latino (demonym)}}
The terms ''Latino'' and [[Latinas|Latina]] are loan words from [[Italy]] and originated in [[Ancient Rome]]. The term ''Latin America'' was coined in France in the mid-19th century as {{lang|fr|Amérique latine}}, during the time of the [[Second French intervention in Mexico]]. Scholar Juan Francisco Martinez writes that "France began talking about Latin America during the rule of Napoleon III as a way of distinguishing between those areas of the Americas originally colonized by Europeans of Latin descent and those colonized by peoples from northern Europe. But the term was used to justify French intervention in the young republics of Latin America."<ref>{{cite book |last=Martinez |first=Juan Francisco |year=2009 |chapter=Identity (Latino/a vs. Hispanic) |page=292 |title=Hispanic American Religious Cultures |editor1-first=Miguel A. |editor-last=De La Torre |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-139-8}}</ref>
The adoption of the term ''Latino'' by the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] in 2000<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fisher |first1=Celia B. |last2=Lerner |first2=Richard M. |title=Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science |publisher=SAGE |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7619-2820-1 |volume=2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofap0000unse/page/634 634] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofap0000unse/page/634 }}</ref> and its subsequent media attention brought about several controversies and disagreements, specifically in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in [[Mexico]] and other [[Spanish-speaking]] countries. Regarding it as an arbitrary, generic term, many [[Latin American]] scholars, journalists and organizations have objected to the [[mass media]] use of the word ''Latino'', pointing out that such ethnonyms are optional and should be used only to describe people involved in the practices, ideologies and [[identity politics]] of their supporters.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.eserver.org/clogic/1-2/gimenez.html |title=Latinos/Hispanics ... What Next! Some Reflections on the Politics of Identity in the US |last=Gimenez |first=Martha E. |journal=Cultural Logic |volume=1 |issue=2 |issn=1097-3087 |year=1998 |access-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516221251/http://www.eserver.org/clogic/1-2/gimenez.html |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archer-books.com/HPPExtract.pdf |first=José |last=de la Isla |title=The Rise of Hispanic Political Power |publisher=Archer Books |year=2003 |access-date=December 9, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice |last1=Grunig |first1=Larissa A. |last2=Hon |first2=Linda Childers |last3=Toth |first3=Elizabeth Lance |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |page=166 |quote='Latino' refers only to immigrants from Latin America (itself an offensive term to some indigenous people of that area) }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/suncommentary/la-op-rodriguez12nov12,1,3317414.column?coll=la-headlines-suncomment |title=Look beyond the 'Latino' label |last=Rodriguez |first=Gregory |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 12, 2012 |access-date=December 9, 2012 }}</ref> They argue that if ''Hispanic'' is an imposed official term, then so is ''Latino'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Latino |title=Latino <nowiki>|</nowiki> Define Latino at Dictionary.com |access-date=May 27, 2010 }}</ref> since it was the [[French people|French]] who coined the expression "Latin America" ({{lang|fr|Amérique latine}}) to refer to the Spanish, French, and Portuguese-speaking countries of the [[Western Hemisphere]], during their support of the [[Second Mexican Empire]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/18/opinion/l-latino-hispanic-quechua-no-american-take-your-pick-718992.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Latino? Hispanic? Quechua? No, American; Take Your Pick|last=Velez Guadalupe|first=Hector|work=The New York Times|date=November 18, 1992|page=A26|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 9, 2012|url-access=limited}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=January 2022}}
== Distinctions between ''Latino'', ''Latina'', and ''Hispanic'' ==
Some authorities of [[American English]] maintain a distinction between the terms ''Hispanic'' and ''Latino'':
{{blockquote |Though often used interchangeably in American English, Hispanic and Latino have slightly different ranges of meaning. Hispanic, from the Latin word for "Spain," has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that might sometimes seem to have little else in common. Latino—which in Spanish means "Latin" but in English is probably a shortening of the Spanish word ''latinoamericano''—refers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American Spanish-speaking origin. Of the two, only Hispanic can be used in referring to Spain and its history and culture. In practice, however, this distinction is of little significance when referring to Spanish-speaking residents of the United States, most of whom are of Latin American origin and can thus theoretically be called by either word. Since the 1980s Latino has come to be much more prevalent than Hispanic in national media, but actual Americans of Spanish-speaking Latin American heritage are far from unified in their preferences. For some, Latino is a term of ethnic pride, evoking the broad mix of Latin American peoples, while Hispanic, tied etymologically to Spain rather than the Americas, has distasteful associations with conquest and colonization. But in recent polls of Americans of Spanish-speaking Latin American ancestry, Hispanic is still preferred over Latino among those expressing a preference, while those having no preference constitute a majority overall.<ref name="thefreedictionary">{{cite web|title=Hispanic|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Hispanic|access-date=May 15, 2017|series=[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]|publisher=[[TheFreeDictionary.com]]}}, supported by
{{cite web|title=AHANA- "We are More Than Just an Acronym"|url=http://www.bc.edu/offices/ahana/about/history/def.html|access-date=May 15, 2017|publisher=[[Boston College]]}}</ref>}}
The ''[[AP Stylebook]]'' also distinguishes between the terms. The ''Stylebook'' limits "Hispanic" to persons "from—or whose ancestors were from—a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Latino and Latina are sometimes preferred". It provides a more expansive definition, however, of ''Latino''. The ''Stylebook'' definition of ''Latino'' includes not only persons of Spanish-speaking land or ancestry, but also more generally includes persons "from—or whose ancestors were from— ... Latin America." The ''Stylebook'' specifically lists Brazilians as an example of a group that can be considered Latino.
''Latino'' is traditionally reserved for males or a combination of males and females, and ''Latina'' for females. A group of Latina women is termed ''Latinas'', whereas a group of Latino men or a combination of Latino and Latina individuals are designated as "Latinos" ({{crossref|see [[Latino (demonym)]]}}).
== Alternative terms ==
=== ''Latino/a'' and ''Latin@'' ===
Both ''Latino/a'' and ''Latin@'' aim to challenge the gender binary that is inherent in Portuguese and Spanish,<ref name="merriam">{{cite web|title='Latinx' And Gender Inclusivity|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-history-latinx|website=[[Merriam-Webster]]|access-date=November 27, 2017}}</ref> which combines the Portuguese/Spanish masculine ending {{angbr|o}} and the feminine {{angbr|a}}.
''Latin@'' has been noted to have the symbolical importance of suggesting inclusiveness, by having the {{angbr|o}} encircle the {{angbr|a}}, in one character.<ref name="merriam"/> Latin@ may be used to promote gender neutrality or be used to encompass both Latinos and Latinas without using the masculine "Latinos" designation for the mixed genders group.<ref>{{cite web|title = Latin@: Its Pronunciation and Meaning|url = https://www.noodle.com/articles/latin-what-it-means-and-how-to-say-it|access-date = June 12, 2015|first = Orly|last = Michaeli| date=October 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = 'Latin@' Offers A Gender-Neutral Choice; But How To Pronounce It?| website=NPR | date=January 7, 2013 |url = https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/01/07/168818064/latin-offers-a-gender-neutral-choice-but-how-to-pronounce-it|access-date = June 12, 2015| last1=Demby | first1=Gene }}</ref>
=== ''Latinx'' ===
{{main|Latinx}}
The term has drawn criticisms for its invented roots, in addition to its perceived [[Language change|corruption]] of the [[Spanish language]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Reyes|first1=Raul A.|title=Are you Latinx? As Usage Grows, Word Draws Approval, Criticism|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/are-you-latinx-usage-grows-word-draws-approval-criticism-n651396|access-date=November 27, 2017|work=[[NBC News]]|date=September 29, 2016}}</ref>
==Hispanic/Latino nationalities==
{{Further|Hispanic and Latino Americans}}
The U.S. government has defined "Hispanic or Latino" persons as being "persons who trace their origin [to] ... Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures".<ref name="OMB1997"/> The Census Bureau's 2010 census provides a definition of the terms ''Latino'' and ''Hispanic'': "Hispanic or Latino" refers to a person of Mexican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. It allows respondents to self-define whether they were Latino or Hispanic and then identify their specific country or place of origin. On its website, the Census Bureau defines "Hispanic or Latino" persons as being "persons who trace their origin [to] ... Spanish-speaking Central and South America countries, and other Spanish cultures".<ref name="OMB1997"/><ref name="overview"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic/about.html |title=Hispanic Population of the United States |access-date=June 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702001018/http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic/about.html |archive-date=July 2, 2012  }}</ref>
These definitions thus arguably do not include [[Brazilian Americans]] or [[Belizean Americans]],<ref name="OMB1997"/><ref name="overview"/><ref>In contrast, some dictionary definitions may include Brazilian Americans or [[Brazilians|Brazilian people]], or both in general.</ref> especially since the Census Bureau classifies Brazilian Americans and Belizean Americans as separate ancestry groups from "Hispanic or Latino".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPCharIterationServlet?_ts=309784655920 |title=Select Population Groups |work=2009 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Selected Population Profile |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120114710/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPCharIterationServlet?_ts=309784655920 |archive-date=November 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Passel |first1=Jeffrey S. |last2=Krogstad |first2=Jens Manuel |title=How a coding error provided a rare glimpse into Latino identity among Brazilians in the U.S. |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/19/how-a-coding-error-provided-a-rare-glimpse-into-latino-identity-among-brazilians-in-the-u-s/ |website=Pew Research Center |access-date=13 November 2023 |date=19 April 2023}}</ref> A surge of Portuguese Americans faced a big scare {{clarify|date=November 2024}} when the Census Bureau revealed plans to categorize people of Portuguese descent as "Hispanics" in the 2020 census. The unified feelings of dispute were displayed in a national survey conducted by Palcus within the Portuguese-American community. The results were an overwhelming 90% of participants objecting to Portuguese Americans being classified under the Hispanic ethnicity.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
Fortunately for those opposed to the Portuguese-as-Hispanic classification {{Editorializing|date=November 2024}}, the Census Bureau later released an update stating that they never intended to classify people of Portuguese descent as Hispanic in the 2020 census.<ref>{{cite web|title = Portuguese-Americans against being declared Hispanic – The Portugal News|url = http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/portuguese-americans-against-being-declared-hispanic/27890|website = www.theportugalnews.com|access-date = June 12, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160611075147/http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/portuguese-americans-against-being-declared-hispanic/27890|archive-date = June 11, 2016|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Census Bureau: Portuguese not Hispanic {{!}} WashingtonExaminer.com|url = http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/census-bureau-portuguese-not-hispanic/article/2523411|access-date = June 12, 2015|date = March 6, 2013}}</ref> The 28 Hispanic or Latino American groups in the Census Bureau's reports are the following:<ref name="overview" /><ref name="shl">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_s.html#spanish_hispanic_latino |title=American FactFinder Help; Spanish/Hispanic/Latino |access-date=December 29, 2008 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20010306000043/http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_s.html#spanish_hispanic_latino |archive-date=March 6, 2001 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPGeoSearchByListServlet?ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&_lang=en&_ts=309785178482 |title=B03001. Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin |work=2009 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |access-date=December 7, 2010 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212034823/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPGeoSearchByListServlet?ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&_lang=en&_ts=309785178482 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> "Mexican; Central American: Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Salvadoran, Other Central American; South American: Bolivian, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Paraguayan, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Other South American; Other Hispanic or Latino: Spanish, Spanish American, All other Hispanic".
The Latin population in the United States has grown significantly, becoming one of the most influential demographic groups with notable economic and cultural impact. Latin audiences account for a substantial portion of consumer spending and have a strong presence in urban areas across the country, from Los Angeles to New York. As a result, brands increasingly recognize the importance of engaging with Latin communities in authentic and culturally resonant ways. [https://placebased.media/blog/effective-latin-marketing-strategies Latin marketing strategies]
== Criticism from the media ==
In the U.S., the terms are officially voluntary, self-designated classifications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hispanic-research.com/home/who_are_they.htm |title=Title unknown |quote=For the U.S. government and others, Hispanic or Latino identity is voluntary, as in the United States Census, and in some market research |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214002505/http://hispanic-research.com/home/who_are_they.htm |archive-date=February 14, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Cancer screening among Latino subgroups in the United States|last1=Gorin|first1=Sherri Sheinfeld|last2=Heck|first2=Julia E.|journal=Preventive Medicine|volume=40|issue=5|date=May 2005|pages=515–526|quote='Latino' is a self-designated term by members of different subgroups|doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.09.031|pmid = 15749133}} {{subscription required |date=December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://local.provplan.org/profiles/techdoc.html|title=Census 2000: The Changing Face of Providence|publisher=The Providence Plan|year=2001|access-date=December 9, 2012|quote=Spanish/Hispanic/Latino is a self-designated classification|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715133144/http://local.provplan.org/profiles/techdoc.html|archive-date=July 15, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Title unknown |quote='Latino' is a self-chosen word that has come to refer to American-born peoples of Spanish/Portuguese and/or American-Indian descent |doi=10.1386/smt.1.2.183_1 | volume=1 |year=2007 |journal=Studies in Musical Theatre |pages=183–197  | last1 = Sebesta | first1 = Judith A}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://phg.sagepub.com/cgi/rapidpdf/0309132509103156v1.pdf|title=Nature, race, and parks: past research and future directions for geographic research|last1=Byrne|first1=Jason|last2=Wolch|first2=Jennifer|journal=[[Progress in Human Geography]]|volume=33|issue=6|pages=743–765|date=March 13, 2009|doi=10.1177/0309132509103156|hdl=10072/26749|s2cid=56035843|access-date=December 9, 2012|quote=Latino is a self-identifying ethno-racial category|hdl-access=free}}{{subscription required |date=December 2012}}</ref> However, the [[mass media]] has helped propagate them irrespective of this fact. The rapid spread of ''Latino'' in the U.S. has been possible due to the policies of certain newspapers such as the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' and other [[California]]-based media during the 1990s. Raoul Lowery Contreras writes:
{{blockquote |For years I have campaigned against the ''Los Angeles Times''-imposed word, 'Latino', in describing the country's fastest growing ethnic 'Group,' those with Spanish-surnames, those who speak Spanish, et al. The ''LA Times'' set its feet in concrete and the use of the word 'Latino' and nothing has cracked the concrete since. Worst of all, other newspapers have followed the ''Times''{{'}} lead and news coverage, accuracy and the community have suffered.<ref name="Lowery Contreras">{{cite book |last1=Lowery Contreras |first1=Raoul |title=Jalapeno Chiles, Mexican Americans and Other Hot Stuff: A Peoples' Cultural Identity |date=2003 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-29256-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ACj9KeLC1bUC&q=%22hispanic+or+latino%22 }}{{Self-published source|date=January 2020}}</ref>{{rp|76}}
}}
Lowery Contreras argues that, according to the statistics of the Census Bureau, most [[middle class]] people with Latin American background living in the U.S. reject the term.{{r|Lowery Contreras}}{{rp|3}} He traces the polarization of the word to ''Los Angeles Times'' columnist [[Frank del Olmo]], who regarded the term ''Hispanic'' as "ugly and imprecise".{{r|Lowery Contreras}}{{rp|76–77}} He writes:
{{blockquote |The third reason Del Olmo objected to the word 'Hispanic' and championed the word 'Latino' was that '[[Chicano]]' had been roundly rejected by all Mexican Americans but the most radical, [[blue collar]], less educated, under-class people of Mexican-origin. Del Olmo pushed 'Latino' as a substitute for the rejected 'Chicano.' Unfortunately, he was in a position to push this substitution into the language of the '[[Newspaper of Record]]' in the West. Other papers and broadcast stations took up the word because it was the 'style' of the ''LA Times''. Frank Del Olmo single-handedly branded millions of people.{{r|Lowery Contreras}}{{rp|77}}}}
== Latino, Hispanic or national identity ==
The naming dispute is a phenomenon that has its roots mainly in [[California]] and other neighboring states.{{r|Lowery Contreras}}{{Better source needed|date=January 2020}} Before the adoption of the ethnonym "[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]" by the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]], the term ''Hispanic'' was commonly used for statistical purposes. However, many people did not feel satisfied with the term and started [[Civil society campaign|campaigns]] promoting the use of ''Latino'' as a new ethnonym. The [[Office of Management and Budget]] has stated that the new term should be, indeed, "Hispanic or Latino" because the usage of the terms differs—"Hispanic is commonly used in the eastern portion of the United States, whereas Latino is commonly used in the western portion".<ref name="omb97">{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040208185224/http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 2004|title=Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. Federal Register Notice|publisher=[[Office of Management and Budget]]|date=October 30, 1997|access-date=January 11, 2008|quote='''Terminology for Hispanics.'''—OMB does not accept the recommendation to retain the single term 'Hispanic.' '''Instead, OMB has decided that the term should be 'Hispanic or Latino.{{'}}''' Because regional usage of the terms differs—Hispanic is commonly used in the eastern portion of the United States, whereas Latino is commonly used in the western portion—this change may contribute to improved response rates.}} (Boldface in the original.)</ref>
Despite this, debates regarding the proper name of the perceived homogeneous population of U.S. citizens with Latin American or Spanish background still abound, and are even more acute. To find out how much people agree or disagree with either term, many polls have been conducted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/paper/homberger.html|title=Review: Other Immigrants: The Global Origins of the American People – A poll in 2000 revealed that 'Latinos' and 'Latinas' use neither term to describe themselves|last=Homberger|first=Eric|work=Reviews in History|date=November 2009|access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crossculturecommunications.com/latino-hispanic.pdf|title=Latino or Hispanic Panic: Which Term Should We Use?|first1=Edward|last1=Retta|first2=Cynthia|last2=Brink|publisher=crossculturecommunications.com|year=2007|access-date=December 9, 2012|quote=In Texas, a Pew Hispanic Center poll found that 45% of Latinos prefer the term Hispanic and 8% prefer Latino. Note this leaves 47% of Latinos in Texas who prefer neither term|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807224426/http://www.crossculturecommunications.com/latino-hispanic.pdf|archive-date=August 7, 2012}}</ref> According to a December 2000 poll by Hispanic Trends, 65% of the registered voters preferred the word ''Hispanic'', while 30% chose to identify themselves as ''Latino''. Daniel David Arreola, in his book ''Hispanic spaces, Latino places: community and cultural diversity in contemporary America'', points out that many Latin Americans feel more comfortable identifying themselves with their country of origin:
{{blockquote |What most of us know and what the results from the 1992 Latino National Political survey demonstrate is a preference for place of origin or national identity in what we call ourselves. Face-to-face interviews of 2,817 people were conducted in 1989 and 1990. Some 57 percent to 86 percent of Mexicans and [[Puerto Ricans]]—whether born in Mexico or born in the United States, whether born in the island or in the mainland—preferred to call themselves Mexican or Puerto Rican rather than panethnic names like Hispanic or Latino.{{sfn|Arreola|2004}}
}}
A Pew Hispanic Center survey<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-labels-dont-fit-hispanics-and-their-views--identity/|title=When Labels dont fit Hispanics and Their Views of Identity|last1=Taylor|first1=Paul|last2=Lopez|first2=Mark Hugo|last3=Martínez|first3=Jessica Hamar|last4=Velasco|first4=Gabriel|publisher=Pew Hispanic Center|access-date=December 9, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> conducted November 9 – December 7, 2011, and published April 4, 2012, reported:
{{blockquote |Nearly four decades after the United States government mandated the use of the terms 'Hispanic' or 'Latino' to categorize Americans who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries, a new nationwide survey of Hispanic adults finds that these terms still haven't been fully embraced by Hispanics themselves. A majority (51%) say they most often identify themselves by their family's country of origin; just 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label.}}
== Academic reception ==
{{further|Ethnonym}}
One of the major arguments of people who object to either term is not only the perceived [[stereotype|stereotypical]] overtones they carry, but the unjust and unfair labeling of people who do not even belong to the practices and ideologies of such identities.<ref>
{{cite book
|editor-first=Gary
|editor-last=McDonogh
|editor2-first=Robert
|editor2-last=Gregg
|editor3-first=Cindy H.
|editor3-last=Wong
|title=Encyclopedia of contemporary American culture
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4FW_4CE82kC&pg=PP1
|publisher=Taylor & Francis
|year=2001
|isbn=978-0-415-16161-9
|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=h4FW_4CE82kC&pg=PA416 416]
}}{{clarify |readon=Page number correct? |date=December 2012}}</ref> This is true of many indigenous peoples such as the [[Wixarika]]s and the [[Lacandon people|Lacandones]], who still practice their own religious rituals without [[syncretism]] with [[Catholic]] elements. Journalist Juan Villegas writes:
{{blockquote |The word 'Latino' may be loaded with negative connotations when used by non-Latinos in American culture because of its association with the sign 'Latin' which may imply a stereotyped character partially imposed by [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]. Latino is a sign that needs to be contextualized. It may bring some groups together, but it also may contribute to depoliticize a movement and to stereotype a diversity of social groups and cultures.<ref>
{{cite book
|first1=Diana
|last1=Taylor
|first2=Juan Villegas
|last2=Morales
|title=Negotiating performance: gender, sexuality, and theatricality in Latin/o America
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xq6CIlgpWpgC&pg=PP1
|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]
|year=1994
|isbn=978-0-8223-1515-5
|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=xq6CIlgpWpgC&pg=PA314 314]
}}</ref>}}
These characteristics that are often used, such as Hollywood, to classify a person of Latina/o culture and identity has been termed by scholars, "As a system of media signification, Latinidad is a performative and performed dynamic set of popular signs associated with Latinas/os and Latina/o identity. Common signifiers of Latinidad are language, linguistic accents, religious symbols, tropical and spicy foods, and brown skin as a phenotypic identity." (Berg Ramirez p.&nbsp;40–41).  As Guzman discusses, "signifiers most commonly associated with Latinidad produce a sense of authenticity within media texts", (p.&nbsp;235). Ramirez continues to discuss how these signifiers of Latinidad do not necessarily mean they are stereotypical. In actuality, Latina/os may utilize these "signifiers" for self-identifying purposes. In terms of media portrayal, Hollywood has invested a lot of time and money to develop a general notion of "Latinidad" because marketers, advertisers and media content producers have found that they are a very bankable demographic, thus turned "Latinidad" and Latina/o culture and identity to a commodity. What is problematic about this is when creating this general notion, the diversity within this demographic becomes suppressed and flattened in a demographic that is very heterogeneous just so marketers, advertisers and media content producers can communicate their version of "authentic" racial identity to consumers. Consequently, this opens the space for stereotypes to be created and perpetuated.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Mediating Frida : Negotiating Discourses Of Latina/O Authenticity In Global Media Representations Of Ethnic Identity|last = Guzman|first = Isabel|date = 2006|journal = Critical Studies in Media Communication}}</ref>
Others, such as Catherine Alexandra Carter and [[Rodolfo Acuña]], address the issue from a more global and political perspective, stressing the importance of terms like ''Latino'' or ''Hispanic'' for the marketing industry and for statistical ends:
{{blockquote |The terms 'Hispanic' and 'Latino', although first created for the purpose of lumping together a diverse group of people and making them more economically marketable, have grown into something far more significant. Over time the legitimacy and accuracy of these terms have come to influence not only the functioning of the marketing industry, but the organization and structure of many other aspects of life.<ref>
{{cite thesis
|first=Catherine Alexandra
|last=Carter
|title=Changing Views of Identity in the Face of Globalization Among Hispanic Communities in Diaspora
|url=http://www.soa.ilstu.edu/downloads/anthro_theses/carter_alex.pdf
|publisher=[[Illinois State University]]
|page=14
|access-date=2012-12-09
}}</ref>}}
{{blockquote |When and why the Latino identity came about is a more involved story. Essentially, politicians, the media, and marketers find it convenient to deal with the different U.S. Spanish-speaking people under one umbrella. However, many people with Spanish surnames contest the term 'Latino'. They claim it is misleading because no Latino or Hispanic nationality exists since no Latino state exists, so generalizing the term 'Latino' slights the various national identities included under the umbrella.<ref>{{cite book
|last=Acuña
|first=Rodolfo
|title=U.S. Latino Issues
|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group
|year=2003
|isbn=978-0-313-32211-2
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/uslatinoissues0000acun_h2u2
}}</ref>}}
Davila expands on the ramifications of the mass media's dominant use of ''Latino'' or ''Hispanic'' to categorize this demographic, "... the extent to which assertions of cultural differences intersect with dominant norms of American citizenship that give preeminence to white, monolingual, middle-class producers of and contributors to a political body defined in national terms. My concern is ... with how notions of citizenship, belonging, and entitlement are directly intertwined and predicated on dominant U.S. nationalist categories. Such categories conflate race, culture, and language with nationality, establishing the hierarchies and coordinates against which cultural and linguistic differences are ultimately evaluated (Ong 1999; Williams 1989). It is therefore these hierarchies that frame the discourses of Latinidad channeled in the media, as well as the media's treatment of language and what it may potentially communicate to and about Latino's claim to belonging, and in what terms they may or may not be within the political community of the United States." Consequently, this may leave issues, concerns, and topics relevant to this demographic left unheard, discussed and addressed. They are left invisible, therefore not only conflating the cultural differences, but also marginalizing them for the sake of convenience and marketability to the mass media. However, this is not to say this is a monolithic issue. Instead, this further gives incentive for the demographic to create a space in which they can transform these notions where the representations are more diverse, complex and authentic.<ref>{{Cite journal |title = Mapping Latinidad: Language and Culture in the Spanish TV Battlefront |first = Arlene |last = Davila |date = February 2000 |journal =Television & New Media |volume=1 |number=1 |pages=75–94 |doi = 10.1177/152747640000100105 |s2cid = 144257967 }}</ref>
Not everyone rejects the terms and in fact feel that this idea of Latinidad is taken for granted. G. Christina Mora, author and UC Berkeley sociologist professor, emphasizes the importance of the Hispanic term. In her book, "Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American"<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mora|first1=G. Cristina|title=Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American|date=March 7, 2014|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226033839}}</ref> she explains the origins of the term and how it positively unites Hispanics. The term officially came into existence through United States government but it was due to an activist movement. Before this term, groups such as Mexicans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans were only accounted for in census data as "white". The lack of specific data tied to Hispanics failed to show their social circumstance and therefore could not create necessary changes. There was no data to back up that they were significantly being affected by poverty, discrimination, and disadvantageous education. Without data, Hispanics would not receive adequate funding to change their circumstances and future. Due to the activism on behalf of Chicano and Puerto Rican individuals, there is data that supports and unites a group towards social equality.
Mora, states the following about the term and what she hopes it will mean for her daughter:
"I hope that my daughter will be conscious that the idea of Latino/Hispanic was actually rooted in an effort to work for social justice and political inclusion. Though we are a diverse community, many still grapple with disadvantage, discrimination and underrepresentation. All in all, I hope my daughter will embrace her Latinidad by being conscious of its roots in social justice and by continuing the cause of civil rights and political participation in America."<ref>{{cite web|title = Voices: How We Became Hispanic – NBC News| website=[[NBC News]] | date=September 28, 2014 |url = http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hispanic-heritage-month/voices-how-we-became-hispanic-n209131|access-date = June 12, 2015}}</ref>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Hispanic and Latino Americans}}
* [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]]
* [[Media bias]]
* [[Native American name controversy]]
* [[Ethnonym|Naming controversy]]
* [[Race and ethnicity in Latin America]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book
|last=Arreola
|first=Daniel David
|title=Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America
|publisher=University of Texas Press
|year=2004
|isbn=978-0-292-70562-3
}}
* {{cite web |title=What's the Difference Between Hispanic and Latino? |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-hispanic-and-latino |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/suncommentary/la-op-rodriguez12nov12,1,3317414.column?coll=la-headlines-suncomment Los Angeles Times – Look beyond the 'Latino' label]
*[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-10-me-26028-story.html The Term 'Latino' Describes No One]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120807224426/http://www.crossculturecommunications.com/latino-hispanic.pdf Latino or Hispanic Panic: Which Term Should We Use?]
*[http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000/1/00.01.05.x.html Yale University – Understanding Ethnic Labels and Puerto Rican Identity]
*[http://latinotimes.com/ Latino Times has 20-1 ratio of the use of ''Latino'' over ''Hispanic'' from news articles worldwide.]
*{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/10/15/20914347/latin-latina-latino-latinx-means |author=Terry Blas |title=Latina, Latino, or LatinX? Here's how the term came about |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |date=October 15, 2019 }}
*[https://www.hispanicmonth.net/latino-culture/latino-vs-hispanic/ The Difference Between Latino vs Hispanic]
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[[Category:Hispanic and Latino]]
[[Category:Hispanidad]]
[[Category:Latin American studies]]
[[Category:Mass media-related controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:Naming controversies]]