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2 Are We All Mestizos? The Construction of Identity in Latino/a Theology The future is mestizo. Virgilio Elizondo Latino/a theologians place the context and culture of Latino/a peoples at the center and as the starting point of their theologies. Whether emphasizing lo cotidiano (daily life), mestizaje, or popular religion, the particular contours of Latino/a religious expressions are the core of Latino/a theological writings. Latino /a theologians foreground their ethno-socio-cultural particularity in light of the contextual nature of all theological expressions. In other words, all theology is contextual, shaped by the culture and history of the theologian and the subject of her or his theological writings. Similarly, every theological expression , whether written, celebrated, or performed, is organically linked to its social location. In their retrieval of Latino/a culture and context, Latino/a theologians have recovered a vital dimension of historical and contemporary Christian religious expressions. In this process, Latino/a theologians have constructed a Latino/a religious identity. Whether it is Our Lady of Guadalupe, mestizaje, or the conquest of the Americas, there are certain key themes that have become canonized in the corpus of Latino/a theology as fundamental dimensions of Latino/a religiosity and history. Intentional or not, this canonization has supported a construction of Latino/a identity that foregrounds particular elements of Latino /a culture and history at the expense of the fullness and diversity of Latino/a peoples. Most notably, the presence of African peoples and their participation in Latino/a history and identity have been downplayed. Latino/a theologians write about Mexico, Guadalupe, mestizaje, and the Southwest. The black Latino/a experience is strikingly insignificant within these narratives and constructions of Latino/a historical identity. This chapter presents a critical examination of the notion of identity functioning in Latino/a theology and religious studies. I seek here to correct and expand the traditional (or “traditioned”) identity of Latino/a theology by examining the way in which Latino/a theologians have constructed a particular notion of Latino/a identity that erases certain dimensions of Latino/a cultures. I begin 16 / Afro-Cuban Theology with an overview of Latino/a theology and go on to examine the construction of Latino/a identity within Latino/a theology. This examination emphasizes two points: first, the manner in which Latino/a history and identity have been represented and second, the notions of mestizaje and mulatez as categories for identity, epistemology, and religiosity. I conclude with a critique of the primacy of Mexican-American experience, identity, and religiosity within Latino/a theology . Latino/a Theology: Brief Overview Often considered the younger sibling of Latin American liberation theology, Latino/a theology has reached a historical moment where its identity and direction are at a crossroads. As a theology that remains critically engaged and informed by the struggles, commitments, and concerns of the Hispanic population , Latino/a theology offers an essential contribution both to the contemporary theological academy and to worldwide Christian churches.1 This contribution is rooted in the methodological starting point and commitment of Hispanic theologians. From its inception, Latino/a theology has sought to speak both for and from the history, spirituality, and contemporary situation of Latino /a communities. Scholarship by Hispanics surged during the last decade and offers various distinct contributions to Latino/a theology. More recent work in the areas of aesthetics, epistemology, and metaphysics—rooted in the liberation paradigm—both challenge and expand the scope and method of Latino/a theology. Today, Latino/as struggle to articulate a theology that incorporates insights gleaned from their sociocultural location as they confront and connect with a larger theological conversation. Various factors have shaped the growth and development of Latino/a theology . Both the climate of a post–Vatican II Roman Catholic Church and the theological milieu of the larger academy have been contributing factors, as have a host of key historical events.2 The 1971 formation of the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), along with the first meeting of Padres in 1969 and Las Hermanas in 1971, together shaped the role of Latino/as in Roman Catholic Church life.3 Also important is the Encuentro movement, a Roman Catholic pastoral plan for ministry among Latino/as. These pastoral events fed the academic discipline of Latino/a theology. The 1975 Theology in the Americas meeting proved similarly constructive. Here Latino/as met with Latin American, African, black, Native American, and white Anglo North American theologians and scholars. In this conference Latino/as were...

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