Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad
Silvio Torres-Saillant author Michael Nieto Garcia editor Nancy Kang editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Texas Press
Publishing:25th Aug '26
£31.00
This title is due to be published on 25th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Silvio Torres-Saillant's collected writings examine political contradictions within Latinx identity in the United States.
Since the 1990s Silvio Torres-Saillant's work has questioned the notion of Latinidad, challenging presumptions of panethnic unity within the US Hispanic population and assessing dominant modes of Latinx representation. The essays in Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad examine the dynamics of a diverse collective of over 65 million people whose cultural heritage, ancestral origins, and belief systems arguably differ as much as they resemble one another. The volume dissects prevailing assumptions, namely the essentializing sense of homogeneity in the Latinx "community," which mask important nuances and fascinating contradictions. Torres-Saillant also targets the role of marketing and mass communications in shaping popular perceptions of ethnic groups, thereby tracing connections between media rhetoric and the language of scholarship.
Newly revised by editors Nancy Kang and Michael Nieto Garcia, this collection curates Torres-Saillant's core contributions to Latinx studies over the last two decades and underscores the veteran scholar's evolving thoughts on key conversations in the field. The epilogue narrates his beginnings in Caribbean studies, acknowledges his ongoing analysis of Dominican blackness, and discourages uncritical views of cultural heritage.
"Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad is a fitting tribute to the enduring intellectual legacy of Silvio Torres-Saillant, whose groundbreaking work has helped shape the fields of Latino and Caribbean studies. Bringing together some of his most influential writings, this compelling volume highlights the clarity, rigor, and critical insight that have defined his scholarship. It will spark important conversations among scholars, students, and activists seeking to understand the evolving contours of US Latinidad." - Lourdes Torres, DePaul University, coeditor of Latino Studies: A 20th Anniversary Reader
"For those of us fortunate enough to know Silvio Torres-Saillant, reading Problematic Paradigms and the Countours of US Latinidad is like having a long-overdue visit with a dear friend, one organized by fellow friends who invite you to sip a sweet cafecito while you talk, reflect, and engage in good humored debate about topics that range far, wide, AND deep. For those of you who have not yet gotten to know Silvio, this collection of his essays offers a warm introduction to his prodigious oeuvre, brilliant intellect, and sharp wit. In either case, This book beautifully reminds us that spending some time with Silvio is comforting, inspirational, and very necessary in perennially difficult times." - Ginetta E. B. Candelario, Smith College, editor of Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism
ISBN: 9781477334041
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 454g
272 pages