1 / 18

Mexican Americans and Politics: Concluding Observations

Mexican Americans and Politics: Concluding Observations. Mexican Americans and Politics Lecture 17 March 14, 2006. Lopez and Pantoja.

bert-monroe
Download Presentation

Mexican Americans and Politics: Concluding Observations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mexican Americans and Politics:Concluding Observations Mexican Americans and Politics Lecture 17 March 14, 2006

  2. Lopez and Pantoja • Thesis: A study of multiple-racial/ethnic populations (Blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans) that assesses racial attitudes toward policies that are opportunity enhancing or outcome directed (different forms of Affirmative Action) • Method: Multivariate analysis of the Multi-city Survey of Urban Inequality

  3. Themes for the Course • Historical foundations of Mexican American politics • Emergence of Latino pan-ethnicity and consequences for Mexican Americans • Civic and political engagement • Public policy • Underlying questions in each section • How do Mexican Americans organize to overcome barriers • How does immigration change the politics of Mexican American communities

  4. What We Know About the Future • Mexican American/Latino populations will grow • Intra-Latino diversity will increase • The Mexican American presence will expand in new parts of the United States • The first (immigrant) generation will make up a declining share of the Mexican American population • In the short term (and probably the long term), Mexican Americans will need to rely on coalitional politics to achieve their political and policy goals

  5. Population Composition, 2000-2100 (current immigration levels)

  6. Mexican American Share of Latino Population 1973-2002

  7. Latin American Legal Immigration, 2002 Mexican Share 58 percent

  8. Estimate—Composition All Latin American Immigration, 2002 Mexican Share 64 percent

  9. Destination States, Mexican Legal Immigrants 2002 (2500+) • California (97,293) • Texas (43,524) • Illinois (11,821) • Arizona (7,932) • Colorado (4,107) • Florida (3,596) • New Mexico (3,575) • Nevada (3,308) • Georgia (2,531) • Washington (2,518)

  10. Immigrant/Native Shares – Mexican American Population

  11. Latino Age Composition, 2000 Immigrants / U.S. Born

  12. What We Can Reasonably Expect Current trends will not continue • Long-term demographic trends unreliable • Immigration at high rates has continued longer than in previous American history • A backlash likely to emerge • Backlashes can mobilize (while slowing immigration) • Remember that Mexican Americans, and particularly Mexican American citizen voters, are not supporters of immigration at current levels

  13. Identity in Flux Even if current trends continue • Race/ethnic identities change • Mexican American identity faces four challenges • Rise of second and third+ generations • Pan-ethnicity • Decline in the salience of ethnic identity • Emergence of institutionally sanctioned and recognized multi-racial/multi-ethnic identities

  14. Generational Composition of Hispanic Population: 1960-2030

  15. Population Growth Ensures that Influence Will Increase • But, • It will not grow as quickly as population – resources for mobilization low • Competition for Mexican American political support often weakened by structural factors outside community’s control • Community leadership is weak and not growing • Consequence • Risk of alienation • Confusing distance with exclusion

  16. Villaraigosa Election Offers a Possible New Model • Los Angeles shares political characteristics with other major urban areas • Latino plurality, with Latino electorate making up a smaller share of voters than does Latino population of total population • Rich pool of Latino leaders at the council/school board level • Tensions – arguably fears – of Latino empowerment in African American communities • White leaders who are skilled at dividing minority communities • Divisions within Latino elites – concerns about raising prominence of others

  17. Yet, Villaraigosa Was Able to Win (After a Loss in 2001) • How? • Latino unity and division among other electorates • “Division” misses key Villaraigosa victories • White and African American elites • Young African Americans • Liberal whites • Weak opponent • Nevertheless, Villaraigosa has energized Los Angeles political elites and centralizing power in the office of the mayor

  18. So • The future is bright • But, the future may be further away than many believe • If that future is too far off, many will move away from a Mexican American identity • Immigration continually reinforces identity • Immigration “reforms,” if implemented, will likely reduce immigration, particularly Mexican immigration • 2nd and beyond generations will make up increasing share of the Mexican American population • Will Mexico / Mexican American identity be of importance, particularly if immigration declines?

More Related