Race, Racism, and Identity: Latino Fraternities and Sororities as Communities of Resistance in White Spaces

How do Latina/os, the fastest growing demographic group in the U.S., understand the meaning of their racial and ethnic identity labels? To address this question, I investigate Latino fraternities and sororities as embedded... [ view full abstract ]

How do Latina/os, the fastest growing demographic group in the U.S., understand the meaning of their racial and ethnic identity labels? To address this question, I investigate Latino fraternities and sororities as embedded sites where racial and ethnic identities are imposed, negotiated, and then rearticulated along race, gender, and class lines. Previous literature finds that panethnic Latino identity labels are temporarily used to mobilize economic or political resources, or that these labels are used to deflect existing social stigmas onto co-ethnics. Other research has examined how Latinos use racial labels to authenticate their American identity. Because Latina/os constitute the fastest growing racial population in the U.S., it is important to understand how Latina/os experience their social position in the racial hierarchy. By employing ethnographic and qualitative interview methods, my project reveals that through narratives, traditions, and cultural maintenance, Latino fraternity and sorority members create alternative meanings for their racial and ethnic groups that attempt to reject the stigmatized social position they occupy. I find that Latina/o fraternities and sororities provide avenues for resistance to racism as experienced in the context of a “white space.” Latina/o fraternity and sorority members emphasize belonging and incorporation into their institution, but reject perspectives that promote assimilation into the dominant group.