Twenty-first Century Dynamics of Multiculturalism: Beyond Post-Racial America

Citation

Michael Orlando Sharpe (2015), "Twenty-first Century Dynamics of Multiculturalism: Beyond Post-Racial America", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 34 No. 8, pp. 776-779. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-05-2015-0034

The book is an ambitious effort to go beyond conventional academic US black white race discourse to address the untold and neglected stories of the “brown experience” or “the upcoming majority” (xix) of other marginalized racial and ethnic minorities, namely Mexican Americans and other Latinos/Latinas, within the broader context of multicultural America. This is supported by the facts cited that Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the USA with Mexican Americans as the largest of the Latino groups, and the projection of the USA as the world’s largest Spanish speaking country by 2050. The book aims to contribute a holistic account of the interactive historical and contemporary forces impacting the Mexican American and other Latino/Latina experiences from colonialism to the twenty-first century as a way to better understand America’s past and future as a potential “post-racial society” (pp. 21-22). The authors drive home Urbina’s point in their analyses that the USA is nowhere near a “post-racial society” by exposing discriminatory social practices and stereotyping, e.g. the criminalization of Mexican Americans, Latino/Latina political marginalization, and the overwhelming presence of Latinos/Latinas in the US criminal justice system. They find what they view as the understudied cases of Latinos/Latinas, particularly Mexican Americans, as historically fundamental to the American experience and use this to show that ultimately an acceptance of multiculturalism can be potentially socially transformative for all. The book is intended for an academic audience primarily in the fields of sociology, history, minority studies, Mexican American (Chicano) studies, Latino studies, ethnic studies, law, and political science. One of the strengths of the book is its eclectic focus on Mexican Americans and its ability to reach a wide academic audience with its diverse group of authors contributing from a variety of disciplines including sociology, criminal justice, history, media studies, business, law, education, and Mexican American studies. It discusses little known historical facts ranging from the Spanish origins of the US dollar to the history of Mexican American lynching (see Carrigan and Webb, 2013). There are substantive contributions in its considerations of the globalization of knowledge, gender analysis, immigration, law as a reflection of racial and ethnic hierarchy and dominance, law enforcement, stereotypes in the media, and the US criminal justice system. It is very good in its analysis of the political empowerment of Latinos vis a vis other historically marginalized groups, i.e., African Americans and Asian Americans within the context of white racism.

Despite its contributions, the book would benefit from clearer definitions of “globalization,” “multiculturalism,” and “post-racial society” and it various treatments in the context of the USA (Sassen, 2001; Kymlicka, 1995). One of the book’s fundamental limitations is that although it claims to focus on the understudied experiences of Mexican Americans and other Latinos/Latinas, it seems to be primarily concerned with Mexican Americans. In doing so, it may do what it actually warns against, treating Latinos/Latinas as a monolithic group. Although page limit may not allow, it would have been good to hear more about how the diversity of the Latino experience both resonates and departs from existing racial and ethnic categories. The book shows data on Latino diversity in the USA (p. 7) but it would have been even better to hear more about the experiences of indigenous, black, white, and Asian Latinos, e.g., indigenous and black Mexicans, Central and South Americans, black Dominicans, white Latinos, Chinese Cubans, and how these identities are negotiated and contested within the US ethnic, racial, and multicultural paradigm. Does class matter? How do these differences inform the construction of Latino identity as a pan-ethnic category? What is the impact of more recent migrations? Some more recent and older possible relevant titles include Mora (2014), Roth (2013), Greer (2013), Wong et al. (2011), and Cornelius et al. (2007). How does what is presented adhere to the “ultimate question” of a post-racial society?

Martin Guevara Urbina is the editor of this volume of 12 chapters by various distinguished authors. Although edited volumes are often difficult to manage making sure all the pieces compliment one another, this volume largely accomplishes this across a range of disciplines. Among the book’s many highlights, in Chapter 1 “It’s a new world: the changing dynamics of multiculturalism,” Urbina lays out the book’s main arguments, objectives, contributions, format, and the ways in which the Mexican American and other Latino/Latina experiences remain understudied in US academic discourse. Chapter 2 “Defining Mexican Americans: ethnic identity formation through time” by Arnoldo De León defines ethnicity and discusses the historical development of Mexican American identity and its philosophical implications. Chapter 3 “Latinos in the United States: understanding the historical and systemic foundations of racial oppression” by Daniel Justino Delgado and Joe R. Faigin provide a fascinating analysis of Latino identity within the context of white racial oppression from the time of Columbus and the European conquest of the Americas to the present as evidenced by more recent “anti-latino” laws. Although this chapter focusses on Mexican Americans, it does address other Latinos. They write, “these blended Americans, now grouped under the umbrella of ‘Latinos,’ were created in an extraordinarily violent and exploitative process” (p. 41). What is most interesting are the points made about early and more contemporary Latino resistance to white racism and oppression ranging from Los Gorras Blancas (the White Caps) of the nineteenth century, corridos (sung oral histories), the appropriation of different Spanish dialects as tools of resistance, 1960s and 1970s Chicano movements and Puerto Rican Young Lords Party, and periodic activism. Chapter 4 “Borders, immigration, and citizenship: the latino experience with Gringo justice” by Robert J. Duran discusses Mexicans, immigration, and the criminal justice system and points out the differences between legal and substantive citizenship in that recognition of de jure citizenship for Mexicans north of the border was realized but never treated equally by the criminal justice system. Chapter 5 “The Latina/o Influence on US politics: reality and potential” by Steven W. Bender provides an insightful analysis of the political influence and potential of Latinos in US politics. He examines Latino political marginalization and the problems of demographic youthfulness and immigration status among others issues in diminishing Latino voting power. Bender notes how lack of Latino political weight is reflected in congressional inaction on comprehensive immigration reform (p. 83). This chapter addresses pan-racial and ethnic origins and provides a breakdown of various Latino/a groups and political party alignment (p. 91). Bender notes the possibilities for coalition with other minority groups such as African Americans and Asian Americans and concludes that potential for Latino/a political recognition and voter strength is in their increasing numbers and youth. Chapter 6 “Swimming upstream in multicultural America: significance of global change dynamics in education for American Latinas/os” by Felipe de Ortego y Gasca and Alexandra Neves examines the globalization of knowledge and education as both a barrier and a vehicle of empowerment for Latinas/os. Chapter 7 “Latina and Latino career success: the role of acculturation” by Donna Mariá Blancero and Jill Lynch Cruz analyses Latino career success and the factors that inhibit or facilitate it. They call for organizations to equally value all employees and be inclusive to recruit and retain Latinos who will ultimately be critical for organizations to be successful in the twenty-first century. Chapter 8 “The twists and turns of ethnic prejudice and discrimination: twenty-first century manifestations of historically entrenched racial ideologies” by Marcos Pizzaro looks at the history of racial and ethnic hierarchy in the USA and its contemporary manifestations including institutional racism and “micro-aggressions” and various social movements that fly in the face of white supremacy. Chapter 9 “The minority experience through the lens of the American media: eight counter-stereotyping strategies from (of all places) TV ads” by Charles Ramirez Berg discusses the portrayal of stereotypes of Latinos and other minorities in the media and speaks to agency in strategies to counteract them. Chapter 10 “Multiculturalism in twenty-first century America” by Mary C. Sengstock and Brenda G. Gill looks at US multiculturalism in the twenty-first century and the ways in which the USA has always been historically diverse and how each group has interacted with dominance. They conclude by noting how Latinos/Latinas and other groups are growing and will ultimately reproduce a US demographic where a minority becomes a majority and remakes the American mainstream. Chapter 11 “From the shadows of the past: revolutionizing multiculturalism in the midst of globalization – a twenty-first century” by Sofia Espinoza Alvarez and Martin Guevara Urbina looks at multiculturalism and the paradox of globalization in the twenty-first as positive for some but negative for others, particularly Mexican Americans and other minorities. They argue for social transformation with recognition of ethnic disparities and demographic change and a focus on justice and equality for America to be competitive and potentially “post-racial.” Chapter 12 “The future of US multiculturalism Si Se Puede” by Urbina concludes and summarizes some of the main arguments of the book and examines science, law, white ideology, and the American imagination and a future research agenda with a view toward social transformation and a “multi-perspective” for “our own post-racial society” in twenty-first century. At a cost of $59.96, this 375-page book with a range of authors and approaches provides plenty of food for thought and seems like a good value.