Forging People: Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality in Hispanic American and Latino/a Thought

1. Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality in Hispanic American and Latino/a Thought

1 [ 1 ] race, ethnicity, and nationality in Hispanic american and latino/a thought Jorge J. e. gracia race, ethnicity, and nationality pose many and complex problems. some of these are practical and others conceptual, but each kind tends to lead into the other. Most of these problems are evident in latin america, and they have been addressed by a good number of Hispanic american and latino/a philosophers. in order to understand the views of these authors it is helpful to begin with a conceptual map of some relevant issues that may be raised concerning race, ethnicity, and nationality before we turn to the historical context. Because Hispanic american thought has a long history and displays great variety in periods and approaches, we must say something about its development as well. Finally, we must try to pull together the main strands in the discussion from the chapters in this volume. ProBleMs PoseD BY race, etHnicitY, anD nationalitY some of the most important problems surrounding race, ethnicity, and nationality may be gathered into five general groups: social and political , moral, epistemic, metaphysical, and boundaries and relations. 2 Jorge J.E. Gracia Social and Political Issues the social and political issues are perhaps the most controversial. two sets of them in particular have been repeatedly noted. one concerns the role of racial and ethnic groups within nations; the other has to do with the usefulness of nations within a larger, regional or global, context. among the questions that arise concerning the first are the following : What attitude should nations adopt with respect to internal racial and ethnic diversity? should such diversity be accepted and encouraged, should it be tolerated but discouraged, or should a nation make every effort to eliminate such differences, either by force or persuasion? How can nations maintain political and social unity while being racially and ethnically diverse? Does the political and social unity of a nation require a racially and ethnically homogeneous population? should political and social decisions and actions be dictated by racial and ethnic considerations? one issue that has attracted considerable attention in the United states has been framed in terms of “the politics of difference.” this expression refers to attempts to make room in U.s. society for groups, including racial and ethnic ones, that do not fit prevailing views of the american nation. it has been common throughout history to think of nations as being composed of racial and ethnic elements. some nations see themselves as white or asian, whereas others see themselves as christian or Muslim. some germans set out to purify the german nation of Jews and gypsies under the leadership of national socialism, and some latin americans have claimed their spanish and christian heritage as part of their national identity , thereby excluding black and amerindian populations. the politics of difference is an attempt to oppose such moves. opponents of this kind of politics see it as threatening and destabilizing factors to national unity insofar as they assert the identity of certain groups over those of others and undermine the unity of nations. in the United states this has translated into calls to make english the official language of the country and to stop the immigration of non-europeans because languages other than english and peoples of non-european origin do not fit the ethnic and racial Hispanic American and Latino/a Thought 3 profile considered characteristic by the dominant group of U.s. citizens . similar arguments have been made in other nations, including Hispanic american nations. other issues have been associated with such questions: Does it make sense to have different nations when they have common racial and ethnic populations? should nations be divided according to racial and ethnic lines, or should other criteria of division be used? in increasingly closer regional and global contexts, does it make sense to have different nations that have common racial and ethnic populations? internationalists frequently raise these kinds of political and social issues. they point out that the national political structure is outdated and needs to be changed; nations create more problems than they solve and should be eliminated. globalization requires the development of new political realities that are more encompassing. the concept of a nation as a sovereign entity, they argue, is as dated in the contemporary world as the concept of the greek polis. nations stand in the way of progress and advancement, and the artificial boundaries they establish between...