Latinos in the United States: The Sacred and the Political.

Abstract

When in the United was first published in 1986, it was hailed as a triumph by the National Catholic Reporter, inspiring by the journal Studies, and was named an Outstanding Academic Book of the Year by Choice. The book was widely adopted in Latino and ethnic studies classes at colleges and universities throughout the country. Now, in the second edition, David Abalos updates his pioneering application of the transformation theory to key aspects of Latino politics, history, and culture. He draws on examples from everyday human encounters to address specific concerns of both Latino individuals and groups. Among the issues addressed are: the need to maintain Latino family heritage while allowing each member to develop the autonomy necessary to interact both within the family and within American society; the importance of avoiding assimilation; the necessity for to develop the skills and competence that allow them to enter into America's business world without losing their commitment to the community; rediscovery of Latino religious symbols of transformation that renew the life of the sacred; and the need to preserve Latino heritage through a strategy of being both American and Latino.The second edition contains extensive new material. Abalos includes a new section on archetypal analysis. He has added discussions of the relationship between the sacred and the political in American politics, and of assimilation and its effects on the immigrant. He addresses the new wave of migration and what it means to the future of the United States and la comunidad Latina. Abalos has also added a new chapter on the politics of education, which is, he argues, the most important civil rights issue facing the Latino community. The notes and bibliography reflect recent scholarship, especially that of Latina writers and Chicana feminists. Latinos in the United has become a classic work that has shaped Latino Studies over the past decade. In this revised and expanded edition, David T. Abalos remains our introspective and thoughtful teacher who guides us all toward the deepest source of our being in order for us to become whole people as we actively work to transform our nation into a loving and more compassionate multicultural America. Alberto Lopez Pulido, University of San DiegoProfessor Abalos is able to bring his original analysis into contemporary issues with the same clarity and depth he offered in his first edition of this book. This is an important and original contribution to knowledge in the field of Latino Studies. It is based on an urgently needed synthesis of a growing body of work done on that needs to be reframed and connected to other mainstream sources in sociology, psychology, theology, and political science. Victor M. Rodriguez, California State University, Long Beach