Does panethnicity exist among Latinos? If so, explain why?

Question

Does panethnicity exist among Latinos? If so, explain why?

Answer 1

This looks a lot like a homework question, but here's my two cents.

1. Do your own homework.

2. The majority of times that we see panethnicity is, sadly, merely an extension of the "they all look alike" syndrome. That said, Latinos do have a lot of cultural similarities, though many of them are probably related to European conquest.

Answer 2

Not necessarily. If by Latino you mean people from Central and South America, then there is certainly a great deal of difference between them. If we look at Mexico, the ethnicity are diverse where you have people with different languages and different cultural practices from regions. If you go to Oaxaca you will see people descendants of the Zapatecs while people in the Yucatan are of Mayan decedent and speak a different language.

Answer 3

Is panethnicity an anthropological concept? I'd say no. Actually neither is Latino. Latino is a category constructed in the USA to classify a diverse group of people with no ethnic similarities other than being born in a Latin American Spanish speaking country. It is useful for administrators and as such has been used for census purposes. Any person crossing the border from those countries (including indigenous people rom them) into the States becomes Latino and looses that character when going back. Panethnicity is the proof that American social scientists have taken the bait.