Writing Exercise, Chapters 14 & 15
1.What is your understanding of “transnationalism” from Chapter 14?
2.The author asserts that places are not simply defined by lines or boundaries on a map but rather are
outcomes of social and historical processes. Comment on this in the context of Latin America
and the Caribbean.
3.How are remittances social as well as economic?
4.What are hometown associations (HTA) and why are they significant?
5.Ecuadorian women initially migrated to Spain to work as ______________ and men later migrated to
Spain to work as ________.
6.In Chapter 15. The author showed an example of a remapping of Latin America as “Latino/a America”
based on the notion that all of the Americas have been Latinized. This represents an alternative
imagination of the Americas, destabilizing the traditional narrative of the USA as dominant and
the legacy of Anglo-European conquest. What do you think is the benefit of this re-mapping of
the Americas?
7.By 2044, in 28 years from now, according to census predictions, Latinos will comprise the majority of
the US population. In other words, the US will be a plurality, of white and Latino/Hispanic
population, rather than a white majority. What are the implications in this change in national
identity in the US?
8.What types of areas (urban/rural/suburban) are experiencing the highest rate of increase in Latinos?
What region in the US is receiving the greatest increase in Latinos compared to
previous areas like Texas, California, Arizona ?
9.Local ordinances, such as the 287(g) program (“Secure Communities”) in North Carolina, designed to
identify “criminal aliens” who could be a threat to public safety, was a failed response which led to a
climate of mistrust of local immigrant communities to report crimes and increased their vulnerability to
violent crime. What is a better approach to immigration policy?