Description

U.S. Immigration and Intergroup Relations in the Late 20th Century: African Americans and Latinos

Nestor Rodriguez discusses the arena of intergroup relations between African Americans and Latinos from the perspective of Latino immigration. He begins by locating the arena of intergroup relations within larger structural processes related to global change and immigration. Utilizing findings from recent intergroup surveys and ongoing ethnographic research in the Houston area, he goes on to argue that contrary to some expectations, tensions and community instability are not the only resulting relations between African-Americans and Latinos in cities experiencing high immigration. He makes the case for varied modes of Latino/African-American intergroup reactions, and presents Houston as a positive counter-example to other situations, such as inner Los Angeles, which have experienced high levels of tension resulting in part from (or attributed to) immigration.

ethnic group relations; African Americans; Latinas-Latinos; Houston, Texas; immigrants; social research; urban conditions

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 23, No. 3 (1996): 111-124