UNIT 1- INTRODUCTION AND STEREOTYPES
By Ann M. Wildermuth
Tulane University
MINIMUM TIME: 1 class session
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT: LCD projector, copier
APPLICABILITY: World History, World Culture, Sociology, Civics, World Geography
OBJECTIVE: Students will understand the concepts of stereotypes and
ethnocentrism. After discussing their perceptions of Latin Americans and their
environment, students will be encouraged to become familiar with the diversity of
Latin America and thereby recognize stereotypes.
NOTE TO THE INSTRUCTOR: The discussion questions and activities contain the
Latin American content of this unit. The subject overview deals principally with the
concepts of stereotyping and ethnocentrism and their consequences for individuals
and society.
TEXT
Introduction
The name "Latin America" comes from European scholars writing in the midnineteenth century. Some historians think that a French intellectual named Michel
Chevalier coined the term. Even if it was not Chevalier, the name "Latin America"
originated in ideas about how languages shape and give expression to culture.
According to the view of some nineteenth-century scholars, Europe could be seen as
divided into two cultural groups with northern Europeans having their own distinct
cultures and societies that related to "Teutonic" or German language. Southern
Europeans, on the other hand, allegedly had a different culture that showed the
imprint of Latin influences. Since Spaniards and Portuguese were the first
Europeans to settle in the Americas following Christopher Columbus's voyages, and
since they were the first to establish colonial rule, they took with them their Latinbased languages that came into widespread use among the peoples of the region.
Nineteenth-century intellectuals suggested that Spaniards and Portuguese
transferred southern European culture to the Americas, hence giving rise to the
term Latin America.
The name "America," on the other hand, was the result of the mistaken idea that a
navigator from Florence, Amerigo Vespucci, was the first European to discover
America. Martin Waldseemüller, who was one of the authors of a world geography
book written in the early 16th century, suggested the name America in honor of
Vespucci. He wrote "America" on a map and it stuck, lending itself to the name of
two continents. While today we describe people in the United States as Americans,
some would say that Mexicans, Peruvians and others in Latin America are also
Americans since the name can be applied throughout the two American continents.
Like "America," the use of the term "Latin" is not without some confusion and
difficulty. The term Latin America fails to capture a sense of the strong influence of
indigenous and African languages on the region, emphasizing instead just European
heritage. And confusion continues even in identifying quite what this European
heritage is. French, like Spanish and Portuguese, is a Latin-based language spoken in
parts of Latin America. In Haiti, a modified local version of French is spoken.
However, Quebec and Louisiana contain French speakers yet they are not
considered Latin American. Similarly, the English language contains elements of
French and Latin (as well as German languages), not to mention words derived from
indigenous languages like tomato and coyote and canoe. English is spoken in Belize,
a part of Latin America, and also in the United States and Canada, not part of Latin
America. Thus language does not offer an entirely accurate way of identifying what
is or is not Latin America.
The question of identifying Latin America becomes more complicated when we
consider the movements of peoples within the Americas. In the United States many
millions of Americans also speak Spanish besides English. How far then is the United
States Latin American? According to figures from the 2000 census, 13% of people in
the United States have some Latin American ancestry. Tracing their family
backgrounds to dozens of Latin American countries, these people are often referred
to as either Latinos or Hispanics (from the Latin word Hispania meaning the area
now consisting of Spain and Portugal). The term Latino, like Latin America and
Hispanic, shows the continuing influence of language as a marker of cultural
identity.
The term Latino also covers other forms of identity. Some Americans trace their
family history to the time before 1848 when the vast area ranging from Texas to
California was a part of Mexico. People of Mexican and American ancestry are
sometimes called Chicanos. And what of the identity of Puerto Ricans? For 400 years
Puerto Rico was part of the Spanish empire in the Americas. Now Puerto Rico is part
of the United States, holding commonwealth status. Since 1917 Puerto Ricans have
been able to claim United States citizenship. To what extent, then, are Puerto Ricans
American or Latin American or both?
Much as it is difficult to identify the cultural orientation of people in the United
States, especially with the use of broad categories like Latino, so it is difficult to
employ a term like "Latin America" for such a large and diverse part of the world.
Simply put, is it appropriate to call an area where there are more than thirty
countries and more than 500 million people with diverse cultures and speaking a
variety of languages just "Latin America"?
The use of such a broad and generalized term as Latin America suggests the
influence of stereotypes, which often act as a way of simplifying ideas about who
people are, often by characterizing them with certain allegedly common
characteristics.
Stereotypes
"All high school cheerleaders are silly and giggle too much, and most of them are
stupid."
"Students who are on the honor roll wear thick glasses and never do anything but
read."
"Football players are 'dumb jocks' who have big egos and only get through school
because their coaches and friends help them."
These are examples of stereotypes that you may have heard before. Chances are that
you don't believe in them because you personally know cheerleaders or football
players who are extremely intelligent, and honor students who have perfect
eyesight and participate in many other activities. (They may even be cheerleaders or
play on the football team!). But pretend for a moment that you've never gone to an
American high school or met any cheerleaders, football players, or honor students.
You would still probably hear people say things like the quotes above. You would
see television shows and movies that portrayed cheerleaders, football players, and
honor students in much the same way as they are described in the quotes, and you
might even hear jokes about "dumb jocks" and "bookworms." What kind of
impressions would you form about people who belong to these groups? If you
suddenly had to work with the members of a cheerleading squad or a football team
on an important project, would you know how to treat them?
Stereotypes become harmful when they are used to place limits on individuals. For
example, mathematics teachers who believe that "girls aren't as good with numbers
as boys" might give less support and help to the girls in their classes, and might even
react negatively to a female student who challenged the stereotype by excelling in
math. Stereotypes can also make people dislike someone they have never met, just
because they belong to a group whose stereotyped image is negative.
Individuals are not the only victims of stereotyping. Several stereotypes influence
the ways people think about Latin America. Not only did the name Latin come to the
Americas from its connection with Spanish and Portuguese but so too did certain
stereotypes about Latin Americans have their roots in Europe, particularly in
stereotypes about Spaniards. These stereotypes emerged in the political issues of
the past, dating back to the sixteenth century.
Because of its world empire, Spain rose to imperial power ahead of other European
countries. Spain's imperial power and wealth provoked the jealousy of European
rivals, especially the French, Dutch, and English. To challenge Spanish imperial
dominance, European rivals developed a myth about the extent to which Spaniards
cruelly exploited Indians. This became part of a set of stereotypes about Spaniards
that came to be known as the Black Legend. Ironically, the Black Legend came into
being from the writings of Spaniards themselves. The Dominican friar Bartolomé de
las Casas, for instance, protested against the excessive exploitation of Indian peoples
by the Spanish conquerors. His writings found an enthusiastic audience among
Spain's enemies in Europe. His books were quickly translated into numerous
languages. Books spread tales of Spanish cruelty and infamy, especially since many
included engravings by an opponent of Spain from Flanders, Theodore de Bry, who
offered lurid and shocking depictions of atrocities allegedly perpetrated by
Spaniards.
The Black Legend served as propaganda for Spain's European rivals and relied upon
derogatory stereotypes about Spaniards and Spanish culture. The Black Legend
portrayed Spaniards as cruel, fanatical, and indolent. Spaniards were accused of
being decadent, which meant that they were supposedly opposed progress and had
lapsed into a deplorable moral state full of corruption and depravity. The Black
Legend evolved over time to characterize Spanish government as corrupt,
authoritarian, and given to violence.
In some ways these stereotypes about Spaniards were transferred to Latin
Americans. They still have a strong influence today. These oversimplified opinions
often interfere in international relations. For example, North American
businesspeople that have an image of Latin Americans as lazy and informal might be
reluctant to open business ventures in a Latin American country. The stereotype
they have adopted without really thinking about it prevents them from participating
in one of the world's fastest-growing markets. Politicians who believe that all Latin
American governments are corrupt and backwards sometimes refuse to recognize
properly foreign officials or even entire governments, making dealings with the
nations they represent extremely difficult. They may miss out on chances to work
with some of the most brilliant political figures in the world to solve problems that
affect all nations.
Like stereotyping, ethnocentrism can be a cause of misunderstandings and
prejudices between people who are not members of the same culture. An
ethnocentric person believes that the way her society does things is the only "right"
way. One example is the difficulty that North Americans and northern Europeans
often encounter when working or traveling in a country that observes the tradition
of siesta, a rest period in the middle of the day. In reality, the siesta is a very sensible
adaptation to life in a region that has very hot weather. It allows people to rest
during the hottest part of the day, then return to work as the afternoon cools. Many
offices stay open as late as eight or nine o'clock in the evening. However, outsiders
often become frustrated when they find an office or bank closed at three o'clock in
the afternoon, and see this tradition as a sign of laziness.
It is not unusual to form stereotypes about groups of people with whom we have
very little contact. Almost all of us hold some stereotypes, even though we may not
be aware of them. Similarly, a small amount of ethnocentrism can help inspire
national pride and patriotism. However, it is important to try to see beyond these
limited views and attempt to learn about the reality of other peoples and other
nations. This social studies course is designed to help you develop at least a partial
understanding of the history, politics, cultures, and contemporary issues of Latin
America, one of the regions of the world rapidly increasing in importance to the
United States. As you study the other units in this course, keep thinking about your
own perceptions of Latin America, and try to compare any stereotypes you may
have heard with the realities you will learn about.
DISCUSSION TOPICS
1. What kinds of groups are most often the target of stereotypes?
2. How and why do you think stereotypes get started?
3. Have you ever felt that you were the victim of stereotyping? What happened?
How did it make you feel?
4. What are some stereotypes of Latin America? Do you agree with them? How do
you think they started?
5. What do you think are the causes of ethnocentrism? Is ethnocentrism entirely
negative? What problems can it cause? Does it have any benefits?
6. It is frequently said that people in the United States are more ethnocentric than
are people in other countries. The fact that North Americans often are not required
to study international relations, world history, and foreign languages is frequently
considered as proof of ethnocentrism. Do you think it's true that people in the U.S.
are ethnocentric?
7.What could be done to make the United States (or any country) less ethnocentric?
8.What is the opposite of ethnocentrism?
ACTIVITIES
1. Ask students to read the subject overview and review key concepts and
vocabulary as homework the night before class. In class, review the article with the
students, utilizing the slides and discussion topics included in the packet.
2. On the board, write some of the titles of the units from this course. Have students
brainstorm words that they feel pertain to the selected units. List the words on the
board. (For example, for geography, students might have images of tropical forests
and volcanoes.) Then ask for volunteers to design a bulletin board display
incorporating these words and images. The display should be divided into two
sections, one entitled "stereotypes" and the other entitled "reality." Each of the
brainstormed words should be printed on a removable piece of paper. As each unit
of the social studies course is completed, students should vote on which of the
words they brainstormed should be placed on the "reality" side of the board and
which belong to the "stereotypes" category. They may also decide to add new words
to either side. The display should stay up throughout the course to generate
discussion and to give students a visual record of the changes in their perceptions.
3. Show and discuss the cartoon slides (numbers 21-25 based on It's the Image that
Counts: Cartoon Master for Latin American Study) that reinforce stereotypical
perception. Expand on the theme by showing slides of Latin American perceptions
of U.S. citizens (numbers 26-30) to demonstrate the human habit of
misunderstanding cultural identity.
4. Have students identify the sources for their current perceptions, such as
television programs, movies, music, advertisements, etc. Some examples might
include Speedy Gonzalez, the Taco Bell chihuahua, Chiquita Banana, Juan Valdez,
salsa music, and films such as “La Bamba” or “Evita”, phrases like "Mexican
standoff," "Latin lover," "Banana republic," etc.
5. Show slides 1-10, which contain images from Latin America that correspond to
stereotypes the students may have heard. Then show and discuss slides 11-20;
these demonstrate the cultural diversity of Latin America. How do these slides alter
stereotypical perceptions of Latin America? How do the people in the slides
resemble North Americans? Which set of slides do the students think are more
representative of Latin America?
6. As an assignment, have students watch the network television news and read a
local newspaper for one week, paying special attention to items on Latin America.
Have them write down (or cut out) any remarks or quotes that seem to be based on
stereotypes or ethnocentrism, and items which are contrary to the usual
stereotypes. At the end of the week, students should share their findings. What kind
of news items were reported? Were they reported in a fair and unbiased way? Are
some networks or newspapers more biased than others? What topics regarding
Latin America are presented? What other important events and traits are not
reported? Why? You may wish to continue this activity throughout the duration of
your course on Latin America.
7. Read and discuss the article, "The Spanish Black Legend: Origins of Anti-Hispanic
Stereotypes." Did this article help students identify the sources of some of their own
stereotypes of Latin America? As shown by the article, the Black Legend has a long
history. How can stereotyping of Hispanics be combatted today in the United States?
SLIDES AND MAPS
PLEASE READ:
All slide shows for Land of Diversity are available as a PowerPoint Slide Show (.pps).
If you do not have PowerPoint, you may download the Slide Show Viewer, for free,
at http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/Ppview97.aspx
Maps for this unit are available in .pdf format. You may download Acrobrat Reader
(required) at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Slide Show for Unit 1 (Slide Show may take a few moment to open).
Description of slides
*There are no maps for unit 1.
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