Breaking the Monolith: an Approximation of Contemporary Latino Political Identity

Abstract

Contemporary political identity has been studied from different perspectives according to each relevant field of study; in this paper, we analyze this concept from multiple theoretical approaches. For Latinos in the United States, political identity reflects not only their personal or familial ties to any Latin American country but also an individual level of engagement within a specific societal and political environment. In this study, we present two in-depth interviews carried out with political activists from different Latino communities in Texas and Florida. This paper does not provide a definitive or normative assessment of Latino political identity in the United States, but it attempts to clarify existing monolithic conceptions of Latinos and to provide specific insights on the types of issues most relevant to contemporary Latino Americans.