What Does It Mean To Be a Latino In Stockton?

Lead Author Major

Development and Cultural Change

Format

Oral Presentation

Faculty Mentor Name

Analiese Richard

Faculty Mentor Department

International Studies

Abstract/Artist Statement

The term “Latino” was officially adopted in 1997. However, de jure terms, do not always meet reality. In the United States, race is polarized into the two categories of white and black. Because of this, “Latinos” or those categorized as “brown” have to find a place to fit in the spectrum. Specifically in Stockton, CA, a city that is considered to be one of the most miserable cities in the world, paints a negative and segregated picture of those that are “Latino.” This term has been thrown around and used interchangeably with other terms such as “Mexican” or “Hispanic.” To discover what does it mean to be a Latino in Stockton, ethnographic interviews, participant observation and research on peer-reviewed articles and journals were conducted. In Stockton, the term Latino has come to be seen as connected to language, origin and skin color. However, outsiders of this cultural group choose to categorize many people who would not consider themselves members of this cultural group as Latino. The Spanish language is used by insiders of the Latino cultural group as a way of forming linguistic identity, where the norm (in Stockton) is the Mexican style of Spanish. However, outsiders of this cultural group use Spanish as a way to paint a negative picture of users of this language. Similarly, salsa dancing has been seen as a way to access ‘Latino’ culture, where levels of fluency in the dance, can express how much you belong to the Latino cultural group.

Location

DeRosa University Center, Room 212

Start Date

21-4-2012 9:00 AM

End Date

21-4-2012 12:00 PM

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Apr 21st, 9:00 AM Apr 21st, 12:00 PM

What Does It Mean To Be a Latino In Stockton?

DeRosa University Center, Room 212

The term “Latino” was officially adopted in 1997. However, de jure terms, do not always meet reality. In the United States, race is polarized into the two categories of white and black. Because of this, “Latinos” or those categorized as “brown” have to find a place to fit in the spectrum. Specifically in Stockton, CA, a city that is considered to be one of the most miserable cities in the world, paints a negative and segregated picture of those that are “Latino.” This term has been thrown around and used interchangeably with other terms such as “Mexican” or “Hispanic.” To discover what does it mean to be a Latino in Stockton, ethnographic interviews, participant observation and research on peer-reviewed articles and journals were conducted. In Stockton, the term Latino has come to be seen as connected to language, origin and skin color. However, outsiders of this cultural group choose to categorize many people who would not consider themselves members of this cultural group as Latino. The Spanish language is used by insiders of the Latino cultural group as a way of forming linguistic identity, where the norm (in Stockton) is the Mexican style of Spanish. However, outsiders of this cultural group use Spanish as a way to paint a negative picture of users of this language. Similarly, salsa dancing has been seen as a way to access ‘Latino’ culture, where levels of fluency in the dance, can express how much you belong to the Latino cultural group.