Stephanie Holden, Tulane University
When speaking of Latinidad and panethnicity in the United States, the concept of Latinx always involves the Spanish language. The word "Latino," however, refers to all the people who live in Latin America, including Brazilians who speak Portuguese. In everyday life and on administrative forms, however, the words "Latino" and "Hispanic" are used interchangeably; the U.S. Census defines both terms “as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin” (“2020 Census Results”). Because Brazilians in the U.S. are largely Portuguese-speaking South American immigrants, Brazilian-Americans find themselves at a crossroads of historical, cultural, and linguistic parallels and incongruities from the existing Latino population. In an academic context, Latin American Studies is often separated into Hispanic Studies and Lusophone or Brazilian Studies. However, in terms of administrative representation, Brazilians must identify either as “Hispanic or Latino” or “not Hispanic or Latino”. This paper will investigate whether Brazilian identities align with how Latino identities are conceptualized in the U.S. with recourse to examples based on economic contribution, religion, and sense of community.
To explore this issue of the Latino identity of Brazilians in the United States, this study will compare the experiences and values of Hispanics with those of Brazilians in the United States. The population it will focus on is in Massachusetts, where there is both a very large Brazilian community and a large variety of Latinos of other origins. It will evaluate the similarities and differences between cultural values, language, and socioeconomic and racial identities of the two groups. The isolation of Brazilian-Americans from the rest of the Latino community in the United States will help to examine a story that seeks a balance between unity and distinction.
Read author bio & full article here
|