Pursuing Power

by Garcia, F. Chris

• ISBN13: 9780268013134
• ISBN10: 0268013136
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-08-01
• Publisher: Univ of Notre Dame Pr

Summary

As the Latino voice in U.S. politics has become louder and more clearly defined, the United States has become increasingly an rapidly Latinized -- both culturally and politically -- in the areas of government and politics, public affairs, and policy-making processes. This transformation provides the focus for Pursuing Power the only comprehensive anthology on Latino politics currently available. With an important emphasis on public policies affecting Hispanics and a catalog of articles on education, immigration, language policy, affirmative action, and foreign policy, Pursuing Power provides an in-depth look at the cultural and political "browning of America", as well as a compelling overview of the political potential inherent in what is quickly becoming the largest ethnic group in the United States. The themes of recognition and potential are the common threads running through this diverse collection. It addresses specific questions such as, What do Latinos want and need? How are they involving themselves in the political and policy-making process? What are the actual and likely results of their involvements? After an introductory discussion of the general situation of Latinos in the U.S., the essays examine the ways in which Latinos are presenting their near to policymakers, i.e., through voting. electoral participation, and organization The decision-making process that turned Latino preferences into policy, and the results of this process, are then explore Finally, contributors present several wide-ranging perspectives that presage the future politics and potential of Latinos in the United States of the twenty-first century.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(6)
I. THE SETTING: SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND ATTITUDINAL	7	(24)
E Pluribus Hispanic?	16	(15)
Peter Skerry
II. INPUT TO THE POLITICAL SYSTEM: PARTICIPATION	31	(196)
Political Participation: Resources and Involvement among Latinos in the American Political System	44	(28)
John A. Garcia
Save the Baby, Change the Bathwater, and Scrub the Tub: Latino Electoral Participation after Twenty Years of Voting Rights Act Coverage	72	(55)
Rodolfo O. de la Garza
Louis DeSipio
The Industrial Areas Foundation and the Mexican-American Community in Texas: The Politics of Issue Mobilization	127	(24)
Benjamin Marquez
Mexican American Women Grassroots Community Activists: ``Mothers of East Los Angeles''	151	(18)
Mary Pardo
The Political Incorporation of L.A.'s Communities of Color: A Critical Assessment	169	(21)
Jaime A. Regalado
Latina Women and Politics in Boston: Somos La Vida, La Fuerza, La Mujer	190	(18)
Carol Hardy-Fanta
The Cuban Model: Political Empowerment in Miami	208	(19)
Dario Moreno
III. THE CONVERSION PROCESS: REPRESENTATION AND DECISION MAKING	227	(52)
Hispanics in the 103rd Congress: The 1990 Census, Reapportionment, Redistricting, and the 1992 Elections	234	(31)
Maurilio E. Vigil
Latinos and Substantive Representation in the U.S. House of Representatives: Direct, Indirect, or Nonexistent?	265	(14)
Rodney E. Hero
Caroline J. Tolbert
IV. OUTPUTS FROM THE POLITICAL SYSTEM: ISSUES AND POLICIES	279	(148)
Hispanic Americans and Educational Policy: Limits to Equal Access	286	(28)
Luis Ricardo Fraga
Kenneth J. Meier
Robert E. England
The Engine of Latino Growth: Latin American Immigration and Settlement in the United States	314	(29)
Louis DeSipio
Latinos and Language Policy: The Politics of Culture	343	(25)
Ronald Schmidt, Sr.
Latinos and the Affirmative Action Debate: Wedge or Coalition Issue?	368	(33)
F. Chris Garcia
Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban Foreign Policy Perspectives: A Test of Competing Explanations	401	(26)
Rodolfo O. de la Garza
Jerome Hernandez
Angelo Falcon
F. Chris Garcia
John A. Garcia
V. FEEDBACK: OUTCOMES, PROSPECTS, AND CONCLUSIONS	427	(45)
Symposium I: Latino Politics in the 1990s
Introduction	436	(6)
F. Chris Garcia
Self-Determination, Cultural Pluralism, and Politics	442	(6)
Luis Fraga
Latino Politics: A Futuristic View	448	(9)
Rodolfo O. de la Garza
Latino Politics in the 1990s: A View from California	457	(6)
Ronald J. Schmidt
Will Cuba Be Next? What about Miami?	463	(3)
Maria Torres
Questions and Approaches in Understanding Latino Politics: The Need for Clarification and Bridging	466	(6)
Rodney E. Hero
Blacks and Latinos in the American City in the 1990s: Toward Political Alliances or Social Conflict?	472
James Jennings