La Raza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about Latin American cultural identity. For other uses, see Raza.
La Raza is a Spanish-language phrase which, while literally translated as the race, is more often used as a synonym of "el pueblo" or "la gente", both of which mean "the people". It is used to denote the people of Latin America who share the cultural and political legacies of Spanish colonialism, including the Spanish language and culture. Often, the term "La Raza" also encompasses a racial significance associated with "mestizaje", or race-mixing.
In this sense, "La Raza" is a term that is inclusive of all the racial identities that compose the Iberian peninsula, including Arabs and Spanish people, as well as the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the descendents of African peoples brought to Latin America as slaves, European immigrants, and all the mixtures therebetween.
In his 1925 essay La Raza Cósmica, Mexican philosopher José Vasconcelos draws on the idea of the cultural synthesis propelled by Latin American racial mixing as a source of strength and hope for Latin Americans and for humanity as a whole.
[edit] Use in the United States
Beginning in about the 1960s, ethnically-based political movements for civil rights made use of the term "La Raza" to distinguish Spanish-speakers and Latin Americans from Anglo- and other White Americans and to break down the national and generational barriers between the various segments of the Latino population.
[edit] See also
- Chicano
- Día de la Raza (Columbus Day)
- Ethnicity (United States Census)
- Latino
- Hispanic
- Hispanic nationalism
- Mexican American
- Race (United States Census)
- Volk
| Topics related to Chicanos and Mexican-Americans | Image:Calendário Asteca.jpg |
|---|---|
| Terms: Chicano · La Raza · Latino · Mexican-American · Hispanic | |
| Pre-Chicano Movement: Mexican-American History · Mexican-American War · Sleepy Lagoon Trial · Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo · Zoot Suit Riots | |
| Chicano Movement: Aztlán · Catolicos Por La Raza · Chicanismo · Chicano Blowouts · Chicano Moratorium · El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán · El Plan de Santa Bárbara · Farm Worker Rights Campaign · Land Grant Struggle · Colegio César Chávez | |
| Supreme Court Cases: Hernandez v. Texas · Plyler v. Doe · Mendez v. Westminster | |
| Culture: Chicano Park · Chicano rap · Chicano rock · Cholo · Estrada Courts Murals · Lowrider · Pachuco · Teatro Campesino · Tortilla art · Zoot suit | |
| Lists and Categories: List of Caló words and expressions · List of Chicano poets · Majority Hispanic U.S. Cities · Notable Chicanos · Notable Hispanic Americans · Category:Mexican Americans · Category:Mexican-American organizations[edit this footer] | |
