Doctoral Dissertation Research: Demographic Projections and Narratives of Latino Growth

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1303164 José Itzigsohn Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz Brown University Over the past several decades, demographic change has become a major topic of debate in the United States. The widespread consumption of demographic projections has contributed to the belief that the country is undergoing a seemingly unprecedented, irreversible, and altogether inevitable ethnoracial and cultural transformation. Seizing the imagination of policymakers, social movements, and the general public, this narrative has fueled growing anxieties and anticipations over the future of the country. With a focus on the growing U.S. Latino population, this dissertation expands scholarly knowledge on the ways in which social actors and policymakers perceive, experience, and actively engaged "demographic change." Through a yearlong qualitative and ethnographic study involving in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and experts, participant observation of public events and organizational activities, archival research, and an analysis of media coverage and popular discourse, this study examines efforts undertaken by national Latino civil rights and advocacy organizations to translate Latino population growth into greater policy influence. Two major research questions guide the research: 1) How do national Latino leaders and organizations understand, frame, and use demographic statistics and narratives about Latino population growth? 2) How is this activity shaping Latino panethnic identity, civil rights agendas, and relations between Latino advocates and other actors? Ultimately, this project aims to shed light on the public and cultural life of statistics and theorize on the impact of demographic knowledge on contemporary democratic life more broadly. Broader Impacts This project strives to stimulate a more inclusive discussion about Latino population growth and demographic change. Relevant to policymakers, advocates, and academics alike, it challenges the tendency to simply take demography as an objective fact. Instead, this project offers a timely study of the meanings of demographic change and the production, circulation, and use of statistics in policymaking and advocacy. Research findings will be disseminated at scholarly conferences, in academic publications, and to staff and leadership of the national Latino civil rights and advocacy organizations under study. Results will also be shared with the general public through op-eds and commentaries in English and Spanish media outlets, blog posts, and a website the researcher will develop dedicated to informed discussion and debate about demographic change.