Latina/o Sociology

The Latina/o population is now the largest minority group in the United States. In some places, Latinas/os constitute a “minority majority”–39% in California, and 48% in Los Angeles.

Conducting research and directing graduate student dissertation projects in California has offered me a unique perspective on the social processes of this demographic transition, allowing me to chart some of the contributions Latinas/os make to U.S. society, as well as the challenges they face. I believe that social dynamics that have unfolded in Southern California will echo around the nation, so what we see here—whether it’s the blending of Latina/o entrepreneurship and manual work, or transforming ideas and practices about gender and family—is potentially significant for understanding what may unfold elsewhere.

This is an exciting era for Latina/o sociology. To see more of this work published, I co-edit a book series on Latina/o Sociology at NYU Press with my colleague Victor Rios. We seek to publish innovative, engagingly written books about Latinas/os in the U.S. and in transnational contexts. You can read more about the book series and find guidelines for submitting manuscripts for consideration here.

Selected Books:

Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Manual Pastor. 2021. South Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.A. NYU Press.

Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo. 2014. Paradise Transplanted: Migration and the Making of California Gardens. University of California Press.

Mary Romero, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Vilma Ortiz, editors, 1997. Challenging Fronteras: Structuring Latina and Latino Lives in the U.S. Routledge.

 

Selected Articles and Chapters:

Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, Emir Estrada, Edward O. Flores and Glenda M. Flores. 2020. “Latinx Millenials: Enduring Issues and New Challenges,” Sociological Perspectives,63(3):461-477.

Flores, Glenda Marisol and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo (2014) “The Social Dynamics Channeling Latina College Graduates into the Teaching Profession.” Gender, Work and Organization.

Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette and Jose Miguel Ruiz (2014) “Illegality and Spaces of Sanctuary: Belonging and Homeland-making in Urban Community Gardens,” Pp. 246-271 in Cecilia Menjivar and Daniel Kanstroom, editors, Constructing Illegality. Cambridge University Press.

Edward Orozco Flores and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo (2013) “Chicano Gang Members in Recovery: The Public Talk of Negotiating Chicano Masculinities.” Social Problems, 60 (4):476-490.

Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo (2009) “Ten Things You Need to Know about Mexican Immigration,” Pp. 51-62 in David Coates and Peter Siavelis, editors, Getting Immigration Right: What Every American Needs to Know. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books.