Guest lecturer Arturo Madrid described the past, present and future images of the Latino population in the United States in a speech yesterday in 2 Rockefeller Center.
In his presentation, entitled "Juntos y Revueltos: Imagining the U.S. Latino Community in the 21st Century," Madrid discussed the alterations which have characterized the Latino image in America.
Madrid said the perception of Latinos in America has changed profoundly in recent years, but there is still progress to be made. Latinos are still struggling to overcome stereotypes that originated during the colonial era, he said.
As an example, Madrid cited a joint fraternity and sorority party at Baylor University themed "Run for the Border," which portrayed Latinos in a negative light.
"Sorority members presented themselves in low-cut, off-the-shoulder peasant blouses, barefoot and pregnant," Madrid said.
According to Madrid, the Hispanic movement has succeeded in creating a national population from what was formerly a marginal and scattered regional one. The group of 30 million Latinos, the fourth largest of any country, has now discovered its economic and political voice in America.
In the midst of this triumph, however, the movement created an "artificial, homogenized package" for Latinos that corresponded to the requirements of government and business, Madrid said.
Such a compromise is unnecessary, and social accommodation need not deny aspects of the Latino individuality, he said.
Madrid encouraged his audience to work for a multi-dimensional society, in which one is not required to speak solely English or to minimize cultural differences.
Although he admitted to having more questions than answers, Madrid envisioned a "vital community actively engaging in the construction of a fair and just world."
According to Madrid, the images and narratives that make up the U.S. version of history exclude many of the members of society from the community's vision of itself.
"Although the U.S. communities labeled as Latino have deep roots in the soil of the United States, its members have not ... been considered part of the imagined community of this nation," he said.
Madrid will remain on campus until Friday to speak to classes and Latino groups. He will also be reading "Heretics and Interlopers" at 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon at Sanborn House.
After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Madrid began his teaching career as a member of the Dartmouth faculty from 1965 to 1970. He is now a professor at Trinity University in San Antonio.
Madrid founded the Tomas Rivera Center for Latino policy studies and has been president of several other national Latino foundations.
