Article published in:
Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 12:4 (2013) ► pp. 558–582

Despierten, Latinos (‘Wake up, Latinos’)

Latino Identity, US Politics and YouTube

| University of North Carolina at Charlotte
| Universitat de València
| Swansea University

This study examines the schemata underlying the social dimensions and relationships associated with the processes of Latino identity construction in 500 YouTube postings in response to the Obama Reggaeton video. According to Van Dijk (1998), such schemata allow members of a given group to provide answers to questions such as who they are, what criteria need to be met for membership in their group, and what kinds of relationships are established among their group and other social groups. Along the lines of Wodak et al. (1999), our study unveils six main thematic contents or categories that discursively realize the social dimensions and relationships associated with the Latino identity, and tests them in a corpus of unsolicited data in a deindividuated environment, YouTube, in which social identity, such as the Latino identity, is salient. The analysis lends validity to these categories, as they were found to be highly relevant to the corpus. We argue that the Latino identity is essentially political, both in the narrow and the broad senses of the word (see Gee 2005; Joseph 2006). Furthermore, the Latino identity can only be properly understood within the identity politics climate of the US.

Keywords: Latino identity, CMC, YouTube, social identity, ethnic identity, diasporic, migrant on-line communities
Published online: 31 January 2014
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.12.4.04bli
References
Alcoff, Linda Martin
2000 “Is Latino/a Racial Identity?” In Latinos in America: Philosophy and Social Identity, ed. by Jorge J. E. Gracia, and Pablo De Greiff, 23–45. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Androutsopoulos, Jannis
2006a “Introduction: Sociolinguistics and Computer-mediated Communication.” Journal of Sociolinguistics 10 (4): 419–438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2006.00286.x. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2006b “Multingualism, Diaspora, and the Internet: Codes and Identities on German-based Diaspora Websites.” Journal of Sociolinguistics 10 (4): 530–547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2006.00291.x. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Antaki, Charles, and Susan Widdicombe
(1998) Identities at Talk. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Bachmann, Iris
2010 “A Gente e Latino: The Making of New Cultural Spaces in Brazilian Diaspora Television.” In Spanish at Work, ed. by Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, 50–66. London: Palgrave McMillan.Google Scholar
Benwell, Bethan, and Elizabeth Stokoe
(2006) Discourse and Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Blackledge, Adrian
2002 “The Discursive Construction of National Identity in Multilingual Britain.” Journal of Language, Identity and Education 1 (1): 67–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15327701JLIE0101_5. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, Lyle
(1997) American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
de Fina, Anna
2000 “Orientation in Immigrant Narratives: The Role of Ethnicity in the Identification of Characters.” Discourse Studies 2 (2): 131–157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1461445600002002001. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2006 “Group Identity, Narrative and Self-representations.” In Discourse and Identity, ed. by Anna de Fina, Deborah Schiffrin, and Michael Bamberg, 351–375. New York: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584459.018. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
de Fina, Anna, Deborah Schiffrin, and Michael Bamberg
(eds) (2006) Discourse and Identity. New York: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584459.018. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Dicker, Susan J
2006 “Dominican Americans in Washington Heights, New York: Language and Culture in a Transnational Community.” The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 9 (6): 713–727. http://dx.doi.org/10.2167/beb350.0. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, Pilar
2010 “The YouTubification of Politics, Impoliteness and Polarization.” In Handbook of Research on Discourse Behaviour and Digital Communication: Language Structures and Social Interaction, ed. by Rotimi Taiwo, 540–563 Hershey, PA: IGI Global. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
, Nuria Lorenzo-Dus and Patricia Bou-Franch 2013 “Relational work in anonymous, asynchronous communication: A study of (dis)affiliation in YouTube.” In Research Trends in Intercultural Pragmatics, ed. by I. Kecskes and J. Romero-Trillo, 343–365. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
García-Bedolla, Lisa
2003 “The Identity Paradox: Latino Language, Politics and Selective Dissociation.” Latino Studies 11: 264–283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.lst.8600038. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Garcia, Mary Helen
2003 “Speaking Spanish in Los Angeles and San Antonio: Who, When, Where and Why.” Southwest Journal of Linguistics 22 (1): 1–21.Google Scholar
Garcia, Ofelia
2007 “Lenguas e identidades en mundos hispanohablantes: Desde una posición plurilingüe y minoritaria.” In Linguistica Aplicada del Espanol, ed. by M. Lacorte, 377–406. Madrid: Arco/Libros.Google Scholar
Gee, James P
2005 An Introduction to Discourse Analysis Theory and Method, 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Gimenez, Martha
1992 “US Ethnic Politics: Implications for Latin Americans.” Latin American Perspectives 75 (19): 7–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0094582X9201900402. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Goffman, Erving
(1963) Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
Gracia, Jorge J. E
(2008) Latinos in America: Philosophy and Social Identity. Malden, MA: Backwell. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470696484. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gracia, Jorge J. E., and Pablo De Greiff
(eds) (2000) Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Grove, Steve
2008 YouTube: The Flattening of Politics. Nieman Reports. Summer, 2008.
Hitlin, Steven, J. Scott Brown, and Glen H. Elder Jr
2007 “Measuring Latinos: Racial vs. Ethnic Classification and Self-understanding.” Social Forces 86 (2): 587–600. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sf/86.2.587. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Joseph, John
(2004) Language and Identity: National, Ethnic, Religious. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2006) Language and Politics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9780748624522.001.0001. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Latorre, Sobeira
2007 “Shifting Borders: An Interview with Angie Cruz.” Latino Studies 51: 478–488. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.lst.8600279. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Leeman, Jennifer, and Pilar García
2007 “Ideologías y prácticas en la enseñanza del español como lengua mayoritaria y lengua minoritaria.” In Lingüística aplicada del español, ed. by Manel Lacorte, 117–148. Madrid: Arco.Google Scholar
Lipski, John M
2007 “El español de América en contacto con otras lenguas.” In Lingüística aplicada del español, ed. by Manel Lacorte, 309–346. Madrid: Arco. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/lst.2009.8Google Scholar
Maldonado-Torres, Nelson
2009 A review of Latinos in America: Philosophy and Social Identity . By Jorge J. E. Gracia. Blackwell Publishers, 2008. 272 pages. Latino Studies 7.2 (2009). 284–6. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Mar-Molinero, Clare
2010 “Tu voz es tu voto: The roles of Spanish in the 2008. United States Presidential Elections.” In Spanish at Work, ed. by Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, 67–82. London: Palgrave McMillan.Google Scholar
May, Albert
2008 “Campaign 2008. It’s on YouTube.” Nieman Reports. Summer, 2008.
Mendieta, Eduardo
2000 “The Making of New Peoples. Hispanizing Race.” In Latinos in America: Philosophy and Social Identity, ed. by Jorge J. E. Gracia, and Pablo De Greiff, 45–60. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Mitra, Amanda
1998 “Virtual Commonality: Looking for India on the Internet.” In Virtual Culture, ed. by Steven G. Jones, 55–79. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Moya, Paula M.L
2003 “With Us or Without Us. The Development of a Latino Public Sphere.” Nepantla. Views from South 4 (2): 245–252.Google Scholar
Norris, Sigrid
2007 “The Micropolitics of Personal National and Ethnicity Identity.” Discourse and Society 18 (5): 653–674. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957926507079633. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nuccetelli, Susan
2007 “What Is an Ethnic Group? Against Social Functionalism.” In Race or Ethnicity? On Black and Latino Identity, ed. by Jorge J. E. Gracia, 137–151. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Reicher, S.D., R. Spears, and T. Postmes
1995 “A Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Phenomena.” European Review of Social Psychology 61: 161–198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14792779443000049. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Rivera, Raquel Z
2008 “Reggaeton, Gender, Blogging and Pedagogy.” Latino Studies 61: 327–338. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/lst.2008.25. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Sacks, Harvey
1995 Lectures on Conversation, 2 vols1, ed. by G. Jefferson. Oxford: Blackwell. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781444328301. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Schute, Ofelia
2000 “Negotiating Latina Identities.” In Latinos in America: Philosophy and Social Identity, ed. by Jorge J. E. Gracia, and Pablo De Greiff, 61–76. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Sinclair, John, and Stuart Cunningham
2000 “Go with the Flow: Diasporas and the Media.” Television and New Media 11: 11–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/152747640000100102. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Thornborrow, Joanna
2001 “Language and the Media. In Language, Society and Power. An Introduction, 2nd edn, Ishtla Singh, and Jean Stilwell Peccei, 55–74. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Toribio, Almeida Jacqueline
2002 “Spanish-English Code-switching among US Latinos.” International Journal of the Sociology of Language 1581: 89–119.Google Scholar
van Dijk, Teun A
1992 “Discourse and the Denial of Racism.” Discourse & Society 3 (1): 87–118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957926592003001005. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(1998) Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Velez-Rendon, Gloria
2007 “Trayectorias bilingues: Los desafios en la construccion de identidades entre inmigrantes hispanas.” Revista Internacional de Linguistica Iberoamericana 5 (2): 163–176.Google Scholar
Westling, Mike
2007 “Expanding the Public Sphere: The Impact of Facebook on Political Communication.” Accessed November 19, 2008. http://www.thenewvernacular.com/projects/facebook_and_political_communication.pdf.
Widdicombe, Susan
1998 ““But You Do Not Class Yourself ” The Interactional Management of Category Membership and Non-membership.” In Identities at Talk, Charles Antaki, and Susan Widdicombe, 52–70. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Wodak, Ruth, Rudolf de Cillia, Martin Reisigl, and Karin Liebhart
(1999) The Discursive Construction of National Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Wortham, Stanton E. F
(2001) Narratives in Action: A Strategy for Research and Analysis. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 8 other publications

No author info given
2016.  In Power, Surveillance, and Culture in YouTube™'s Digital Sphere [Advances in Social Networking and Online Communities, ], ► pp. 97 ff. Crossref logo
Blitvich, Pilar Garcés-Conejos
2018. Globalization, transnational identities, and conflict talk: The superdiversity and complexity of the Latino identity. Journal of Pragmatics 134 ► pp. 120 ff. Crossref logo
Bou-Franch, Patricia & Pilar Garcés Blitvich
2014. Gender ideology and social identity processes in online language aggression against women. Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict 2:2 ► pp. 226 ff. Crossref logo
Bou-Franch, Patricia & Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich
2014. Conflict management in massive polylogues: A case study from YouTube. Journal of Pragmatics 73 ► pp. 19 ff. Crossref logo
Bou-Franch, Patricia & Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich
2016.  In Exploring Language Aggression against Women [Benjamins Current Topics, 86], ► pp. 59 ff. Crossref logo
Esposito, Eleonora, Carolina Pérez-Arredondo & José Manuel Ferreiro
2019.  In Discourses from Latin America and the Caribbean, ► pp. 1 ff. Crossref logo
Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, Pilar & Patricia Bou-Franch
2019.  In Analyzing Digital Discourse, ► pp. 3 ff. Crossref logo
Rojas-Sosa, Deyanira
2016. The denial of racism in Latina/o students’ narratives about discrimination in the classroom. Discourse & Society 27:1 ► pp. 69 ff. Crossref logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 19 april 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.