Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad
Will be published approx. on 25. August 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-4773-3404-1 (ISBN)
Description
Silvio Torres-Saillant's collected writings examine political contradictions within Latinx identity in the United States.
Since the 1990s Silvio Torres-Saillant's work has questioned the notion of Latinidad, challenging presumptions of panethnic unity within the US Hispanic population and assessing dominant modes of Latinx representation. The essays in Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad examine the dynamics of a diverse collective of over 65 million people whose cultural heritage, ancestral origins, and belief systems arguably differ as much as they resemble one another. The volume dissects prevailing assumptions, namely the essentializing sense of homogeneity in the Latinx "community," which mask important nuances and fascinating contradictions. Torres-Saillant also targets the role of marketing and mass communications in shaping popular perceptions of ethnic groups, thereby tracing connections between media rhetoric and the language of scholarship.
Newly revised by editors Nancy Kang and Michael Nieto Garcia, this collection curates Torres-Saillant's core contributions to Latinx studies over the last two decades and underscores the veteran scholar's evolving thoughts on key conversations in the field. The epilogue narrates his beginnings in Caribbean studies, acknowledges his ongoing analysis of Dominican blackness, and discourages uncritical views of cultural heritage.
Since the 1990s Silvio Torres-Saillant's work has questioned the notion of Latinidad, challenging presumptions of panethnic unity within the US Hispanic population and assessing dominant modes of Latinx representation. The essays in Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad examine the dynamics of a diverse collective of over 65 million people whose cultural heritage, ancestral origins, and belief systems arguably differ as much as they resemble one another. The volume dissects prevailing assumptions, namely the essentializing sense of homogeneity in the Latinx "community," which mask important nuances and fascinating contradictions. Torres-Saillant also targets the role of marketing and mass communications in shaping popular perceptions of ethnic groups, thereby tracing connections between media rhetoric and the language of scholarship.
Newly revised by editors Nancy Kang and Michael Nieto Garcia, this collection curates Torres-Saillant's core contributions to Latinx studies over the last two decades and underscores the veteran scholar's evolving thoughts on key conversations in the field. The epilogue narrates his beginnings in Caribbean studies, acknowledges his ongoing analysis of Dominican blackness, and discourages uncritical views of cultural heritage.
Reviews / Votes
"For those of us fortunate enough to know Silvio Torres-Saillant, reading Problematic Paradigms and the Countours of US Latinidad is like having a long-overdue visit with a dear friend, one organized by fellow friends who invite you to sip a sweet cafecito while you talk, reflect, and engage in good humored debate about topics that range far, wide, and deep. For those of you who have not yet gotten to know Silvio, this collection of his essays offers a warm introduction to his prodigious oeuvre, brilliant intellect, and sharp wit. In either case, this book beautifully reminds us that spending some time with Silvio is comforting, inspirational, and very necessary in perennially difficult times." - Ginetta E. B. Candelario, Smith College, editor of Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism"Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad is a fitting tribute to the enduring intellectual legacy of Silvio Torres-Saillant, whose groundbreaking work has helped shape the fields of Latino and Caribbean studies. Bringing together some of his most influential writings, this compelling volume highlights the clarity, rigor, and critical insight that have defined his scholarship. It will spark important conversations among scholars, students, and activists seeking to understand the evolving contours of US Latinidad." - Lourdes Torres, DePaul University, editor of the journal Latino Studies, 2012-2023
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Austin, TX
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4773-3404-1 (9781477334041)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Silvio Torres-Saillant is a professor of English and Dean's Professor of the Humanities at Syracuse University. He is the author of Caribbean Poetics: Toward an Aesthetic of West Indian Literature, El retorno de las yolas, and An Intellectual History of the Caribbean.
Nancy Kang is an associate professor of women's and gender studies at the University of Manitoba, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Transnational Feminisms and Gender-Based Violence. She is a coauthor of The Once and Future Muse: The Poetry and Poetics of Rhina P. Espaillat with Silvio Torres-Saillant.
Michael Nieto Garcia is a professor of literature at Clarkson University. He is the author of Autobiography in Black & Brown: Ethnic Identity in Richard Wright and Richard Rodriguez and the widely-accessed essay, "Do Brown People have Brown Thoughts?"
Nancy Kang is an associate professor of women's and gender studies at the University of Manitoba, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Transnational Feminisms and Gender-Based Violence. She is a coauthor of The Once and Future Muse: The Poetry and Poetics of Rhina P. Espaillat with Silvio Torres-Saillant.
Michael Nieto Garcia is a professor of literature at Clarkson University. He is the author of Autobiography in Black & Brown: Ethnic Identity in Richard Wright and Richard Rodriguez and the widely-accessed essay, "Do Brown People have Brown Thoughts?"
Content
Note on Terminology. Latino, Latina/o, Latin@, Latinx, Latine, and Whatever Comes Next: Considering Multiple Identity Labels
Introduction. On Problematic Paradigms and the Poetics of Identity (Nancy Kang and Michael Nieto Garcia)
Part I. Approaches to Dominican Studies: History, Literature, and Culture
Chapter 1. Before the Diaspora: Early Dominican Literature in the United States
Chapter 2. Visions of Dominicanness in the United States
Chapter 3. Pilgrims of Humane Remembrance at the Borderlands
Part II. Latinidad in Literature, Culture, and Politics
Chapter 4. Latino Identity, Nationalism, and Latinidad: A Tenuous "Community"
Chapter 5. The Political Essay and Latino Autobiography
Chapter 6. Inventing the Race: Latinos and the Ethnoracial Pentagon
Chapter 7. Problematic Paradigms: Racial Diversity and Corporate Identity in the Latino Community
Part III. Critical Readings of Racial Politics and Afro-Latinidades
Chapter 8. Afro-Latinidad: Phoenix Rising from Hemispheric Ashes
Chapter 9. Racism in the Americas and the Latino Scholar
Chapter 10. Afro-Latinos and the Racial Wall
Epilogue. On Being Collected: Looking Backwards and the Perils of Baseball Nationalism (Silvio Torres-Saillant)
Acknowledgments
Credits and Publication History
Works Cited
Index
Introduction. On Problematic Paradigms and the Poetics of Identity (Nancy Kang and Michael Nieto Garcia)
Part I. Approaches to Dominican Studies: History, Literature, and Culture
Chapter 1. Before the Diaspora: Early Dominican Literature in the United States
Chapter 2. Visions of Dominicanness in the United States
Chapter 3. Pilgrims of Humane Remembrance at the Borderlands
Part II. Latinidad in Literature, Culture, and Politics
Chapter 4. Latino Identity, Nationalism, and Latinidad: A Tenuous "Community"
Chapter 5. The Political Essay and Latino Autobiography
Chapter 6. Inventing the Race: Latinos and the Ethnoracial Pentagon
Chapter 7. Problematic Paradigms: Racial Diversity and Corporate Identity in the Latino Community
Part III. Critical Readings of Racial Politics and Afro-Latinidades
Chapter 8. Afro-Latinidad: Phoenix Rising from Hemispheric Ashes
Chapter 9. Racism in the Americas and the Latino Scholar
Chapter 10. Afro-Latinos and the Racial Wall
Epilogue. On Being Collected: Looking Backwards and the Perils of Baseball Nationalism (Silvio Torres-Saillant)
Acknowledgments
Credits and Publication History
Works Cited
Index