Latinos and American Popular Culture

Patricia M. Montilla

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780313392221
• eBook ISBN: 9780313392238
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Hispanic American Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

This book offers a complete overview of the contributions of U.S. Latinos to American popular culture and examines the emergence of the U.S. Latino identity. According to the 2010 Census, Latinos represent more than 16 percent of the total population and are the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States. Their vast contributions to popular culture are visible in nearly every aspect of American life and are as diverse as the countries and cultures of origin with which Latinos identify themselves. This book provides a historical overview of the developments in U.S. Latino culture and highlights the most recent expressions of Latino life in American popular culture. With coverage of topics like Latino representations in television, radio, film, and theater; U.S. Latino literature and art; Latino sports stars in baseball, basketball, boxing, football, and soccer; and contemporary pop music; this book will appeal to general readers and be a useful and engaging resource for high school and college students. The work examines the cultural ties that U.S. Latinos maintain with their country of origin or that of their ancestors, explains why language is a critical cultural marker for Latinos, and identifies how Latinos are changing American popular culture. Insightful information on U.S. Latino identity issues and prevalent cultural stereotypes is also included.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. A Mainstream Dream: Latinas/os on Prime-time Television
• 2. Representing Latinidad in Children’s Television: What Are the Kids Watching?
• 3. Spanish-Language and Latino/a-Oriented Television
• 4. The Significance of U.S. Spanish-Language Radio
• 5. Piolín por la Mañana, an Important Site of Mojarra Pedagogy
• 6. Latino Representations in Film: From the Latin Lover to the Latin Boom
• 7. Say Hello to My Little Friends: Nonhumans as Latinos in U.S. Feature Films for Children
• 8. A Look at Latino Theater
• 9. Representations of Latino/as in Musical Theater and Theater for Young Audiences
• 10. Critical Cacophony: Notes on the Reception of Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”
• 11. ¿Qué Onda? “What’s Happening?”—Chicano Art in Twenty-First-Century America
• 12. The Latino Novel in the Twenty-First Century
• 13. Latino Children’s Literature: An Overview
• 14. The Latino Béisbol Experience in the United States
• 15. Latino Baseball Players in the Media: Or What Do Two Dominicans, a Mexican, and a Venezuelan Have in Common?
• 16. Rings for Mexican Political Corruption and Nationalism: Lucha Libre and Boxing
• 17. Latinos in Major League and National Soccer
• 18. The Irony of Brown Pride: A Visual and Cultural Analysis of the Latino Presence in the NFL and NBA as Players and Consumers
• 19. Feeding a Latino Identity: Latino Foodways and Culture in the United States
• 20. Los expertos hablan: Constructing Latina Identity in Popular Women’s Magazines
• About the Editor and Contributors
• Index