Latino Politics en Ciencia Politica: The Search for Latino Identity and Racial Consciousness

More than 53 million Latinos

now constitute the largest, fastest-growing, and most diverse minority group in

the United States, and the nation’s political future may well be shaped by

Latinos’ continuing political incorporation. In the 2012 election, Latinos

proved to be a critical voting bloc in both Presidential and Congressional

races; this demographic will only become more important in future American

elections. Using new evidence from the largest-ever scientific survey addressed

exclusively to Latino/Hispanic respondents, Latino

Politics en Ciencia Politica explores political diversity within the Latino

community, considering how intra-community differences influence political

behavior and policy preferences.

The editors and contributors, all noted scholars of race

and politics, examine key issues of Latino politics in the contemporary United

States: Latino/a identities (latinidad),

transnationalism, acculturation, political community, and racial consciousness.

The book contextualizes today’s research within the history of Latino political

studies, from the field’s beginnings to the present, explaining how systematic

analysis of Latino political behavior has over time become integral to the

study of political science. Latino

Politics en Ciencia Politica is thus an ideal text for learning both the

state of the field today, and key dimensions of Latino political attitudes.