Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Sources: Pirates of the Americas

2010; American Library Association; Volume: 50; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5860/rusq.50n1.84

2163-5242

Elizabeth A. Young,

Colonialism, slavery, and trade

associate professors in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies at Washington State University), offers almost three hundred articles, most approximately two pages, on Latino life in the United States.The encyclopedia opens with three introductory essays that provide overviews of three historical eras: 1492-1900, 1900-1965, and 1965 present.The signed A-Z entries that follow provide information on the "notable events, people, groups and movements, ideas, issues, and cultural expressions of Latinos/as in America, giving voice to their histories and experiences" (xxii).Entries for popular culture include, "Boxing," "Hip-Hop," "Lowriders," and "Professional Wrestling."Essays about institutions and organizations include the "American GI Forum," "Brothers to the Rescue," and the "Congressional Hispanic Caucus."Articles on social issues cover "Acculturation and Assimilation," the "Chicano Movement," and the "Family and Community."Less well known historical topics include those on the "Foraker Act (1900)," which established U.S. civilian rule in Puerto Rico and the concept of "mulataje," a term used in colonial America to refer to the intermixing of blacks and whites.All essays include a further reading list and some include a black and white photo.The first volume of the encyclopedia includes a topic finder that allows users to see groupings of articles on a similar subject.The second volume provides a chronology, a bibliography, and a general index.Latino History and Culture: An Encyclopedia shares many article topics with previously published encyclopedias on Latino life, including two four-volume works, Stavans' s The Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture and Society in the United States (Grolier, 2005) and The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States (Oxford, 2005), edited by Oboler and Gonzalez.Like these larger sets, Latino History and Culture provides scholarly yet accessible articles.While the articles in the Encyclopedia Latina and the Oxford Encyclopedia are generally more in-depth and cover a broader range of topics, Latino History and Culture is unique in that it includes articles for the many people who originate from places other than Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.The individual articles provided for Bolivians, Guatemalans, Paraguayans, and other Central and South American countries include a discussion of the varied historical, social, and economic impetuses that brought people from these countries to the United States.