Unit IV: DB #4 Latino Identities In this last unit we will examine intersectiona

Unit IV: DB #4 Latino Identities
In this last unit we will examine intersectionality, that is, our simultaneous belonging to multiple, often oppressed, identities and social positions. We will be focusing on the intersections between class, race, ethnicity and gender but intersectionality can also include many things such as sexuality, age, disabilities, motherhood, parenthood, prestige, etc. Although I separated race/ethnicity, class and, gender, you will see that they are interconnected and you could bring these connections into the discussion.
This DB is a bit different than the ones you completed previously. This time instead of choosing between threads, you will choose to read ONE article per EACH topic listed under Unit IV (you will read three articles in total), three different topics. In other words, one article for “Race and Ethnicity”; one article for “Gender & LGBTQ” and one article for the topic of “Class.” After you read, then you will write one post that will discuss all three topics: race/ethnicity, gender & sexuality, and class; focusing on the aspects I mention below per topic.
Note: for the readings under each topic, please visit the Course Materials section, under Unit IV.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
The interconnection between Blackness and Latino-ness is complex to those living it with their own bodies and to those looking from the outside who are either Black or White (or from any race or ethnicity or part of the world). Are Black/Afro-Puerto Ricans, for example, to be seen as Black or as Latinos among Blacks? Are they to be seen as Latinos or Black among Whites? Why these reactions? Are they doubly oppressed?
Based on the chosen reading and your own experience living in NYC, where Afro-Latino identity is common, I want you to consider the experience of Afro-Latinos or Black Latinos, White Latinos and ethnicities such as the Garifuna people as well as theoretical perspectives such as the widely known Brazilian “racial democracy” known in Latin America as mestizaje (racial mixture). Critique the ways in which instances of racial/ethnic intersectionality may be simplified in social media, news, and through national dominant ideologies. You could also consider what racial formation is, as well as what are the roots of racism in this country.
GENDER
Discuss how gender roles and sexuality are reproduced, challenged, and/or modified by U.S. Latin@s. Analyze “borderline” theories and how Latino people play with their gender, their sexuality and their Latino identity in US context. You could analyze the way media and social media covers this interconnection (as a hint, you could think/talk about Salma Hayek debate with Jessica Williams: http://remezcla.com/features/culture/salma-hayek-jessica-williams-latinos/). In addition, what can you say about the intersection between gender and race for Latin@s? What do “Gueras” say versus the “Morenas” or the “Peccan mamis”?
CLASS
Analyze Latin@s as working people, their struggle for labor rights and participation and creation of worker’s unions, the industries and jobs they tend to be identified with, and the role class plays in these outcomes. Do not forget what we have been talking about in earlier posts; this also relates with race, ethnicity, and gender. How do you see Latin@s climbing up the social ladder? Be critical and think of the following key questions: would you consider Latinos overcoming their oppression by uniting as a class unit, by forming working-class based movements and unions? Or should Latin@s change their class identity by their own efforts, as individuals? What is the “general” experience of Latinos in class terms?

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