Over the decades of the last century, home ownership in the U.S. has become a major institution and part of the American dream. Many arguments have developed that tout the benefits of homeownership: benefits both for the individual, and for the larger society. This study examines one such argument, considering the effects for Latino immigrants of homeownership on community participation. As this is the first study to consider this model for an immigrant population, it is also the first to introduce to this model the concepts of acculturation and assimilation. Studying Latinos in Richmond, Virginia is particularly interesting as Latinos are new ethnic community members to a city that has historically been defined by differences in race (black and white), additionally, unlike most studies done on Latinos in their traditional places of settlement, ethnic enclaves in Richmond have yet to develop. As a result the types of community participation considered here are ones that involve social interaction with non-Latinos. This study has found neither theoretical nor empirical support for the model; other causal variables for community participation are suggested. It adds to the body of theoretical work by suggesting that Weber's concept of status groups be used to describe homeowners as a distinct status group in U.S. society.; additional suggestions for future research are included. Data for the thesis was drawn from the Latinos in Richmond Project.

Latino students often embark on their post-secondary educational journey at a community college due to cost, proximity to family, and open access policies. The current literature on Latina/o community college students has primarily focused on a deficit view of the educational aspirations and educational completion of this population. The current rapid and expected growth of the Latina/o population requires a call to action to identify the capital and supports employed by these students to navigate their journey to eventual transfer to the University in the Southwest region of the United States. Guided by Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural Wealth framework, my dissertation examined the educational experiences of five Latino male students at a Southwest Community College. Latina/o students highlighted the challenges that they encountered, resources available to overcome these challenges, and their resiliency. The findings are indicative of the presence and utilization of aspirational, navigational and resilience capital driven by self-determination.

Thesis advisor: Marilynn S. Johnson / Thesis advisor: Davarian L. Baldwin / Drawing on urban history methodologies that re-frame "white flight" as a racialized struggle over metropolitan space and resources, this dissertation examines the transition of Lawrence, Massachusetts to New England's first Latino-majority city between 1945 and 2000. Although the population of this small, struggling mill city has never exceeded 100,000, it is not unique in its changing demographics; low-tier cities have become important nodal points in transnational networks in recent decades, as racialized patterns of urban disinvestment and gentrification encouraged a growing dispersal of Latinos from large cities like New York. While Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans gradually began to arrive in Lawrence in the 1960s, tens of thousands of white residents were already leaving the city, moving (along with Lawrence's industrial and retail establishments) out to the suburbs. As a result of this flight, the city was suffering from substantial economic decline by the time Latino settlement accelerated in the 1980s. Not all of Lawrence's white population fled, however. Instead, many white Lawrencians fought to maintain control in the city and to discourage Latino settlement. I focus on two nights of rioting between white and Latino residents in 1984, as a spectacular example of the racialized contestations that accompanied the city's social and economic transformations. Although the political power and public presence of Latinos dramatically increased in the years after the riots, half a century of uneven metropolitan development had left Lawrence without the resources or political clout to successfully confront the city's pervasive poverty. Lawrence's history demonstrates the expansion of urban crisis during the 1980s, and its impact on Latino communities in the Northeast. The building of a Latino majority in Lawrence was not simply a demographic shift; rather it was an uphill struggle against a devastated economy and a resistant white population. The transformation of Lawrence in spite of these obstacles highlights the energy and commitment that Latinos have brought to U.S. cities in crisis during the second half of the twentieth century. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: History.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The lives of eleven Latino subjects meeting strict language proficiency criteria were examined as individuals, students, peers, family members, and as members of their community. The students became bilingual and biliterate over time, having arrived in the United States as children with limited English proficiency. Factors believed to have contributed to their bilingual status were categorized in the areas of home, school, individual and society. These were identified through questionnaire, interviews and accountings of academic histories. Language proficiency was measured with story retelling tasks in each language, and scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Spanish Advanced Placement exams. Each subject became bilingual and biliterate through varied and complex circumstances. The data revealed factors that interacted in different ways for each of the subjects although they reached the same results of bilingualism and biliteracy. Two factors, however, were present in each case. One was the use of Spanish in the homes as the dominant language of the parents, and the other was the participation in Spanish language arts classes in high school. The subjects exhibited values such as loyalty to the family, respect for elders and figures of authority, a strong work ethic, and a positive perception of both the Latino identity and the Spanish language. They had all been instructed in bilingual education programs. The Spanish language arts program at the high school provided the subjects with a challenging curriculum in Spanish. They shared the perception that the high school as well as society regarded them with respect as bilingual and biliterate Latinos. The subjects held a strong image of themselves as Latinos proud to be mastering English while educated in both languages. All eleven subjects believed that Spanish was integral to their lives and that learning English did not have to be at the expense of the continued development of Spanish. / 2031-01-01

Thesis advisor: Jacqueline Lerner / Understanding the family and school factors that lead to Latino children's social competence in the United States is a critical issue for the school success of our expanding Latino population. Using a Latino subsample of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (N = 3,072), this study examined socioeconomic status, home language, and parental stress in relation to parenting behaviors as predictors of kindergarten children's social skills in the classroom. Spanish instruction in the classroom was investigated as a moderator of the relationship between parental stress and parenting behaviors. Using regression analyses, it was found that higher socioeconomic levels were associated with greater levels of parental warmth and structured rules and routines in the family. Spanish as home language was related to lower levels of harsher forms of discipline. Both marital stress and parenting stress were predictive of harsher forms of discipline and decreased structured rules and routines in the family. Marital stress alone was related to decreased levels of parental warmth. Parenting behaviors were predictive of kindergarten children's social skills. Harsher forms of discipline were related to decreases in children's self-control and interpersonal skills. Increased levels of family rules and routines were positively related to children's self-control and interpersonal skills. Evidence was found for the mediational role of parenting behaviors to children's social skills. Discipline mediated the relationship between marital stress and children's self-control and interpersonal skills. Discipline also mediated the relationship of parenting stress to children's interpersonal skills. Finally, structured rules and routines in the family mediated the relationship of marital stress to interpersonal skills. Support was found for Spanish instruction in the classroom as a moderator for the relationship of parenting stress to negative parenting behaviors. Spanish in the classroom was associated with higher levels of parental warmth and lower levels of harsh discipline, in spite of parenting stress. This result highlights the importance of providing Spanish language resources in our school systems to promote Latino children's social competence. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology.

The primary goals of this qualitative case study were to analyze and evaluate the perceived benefits of a mentoring program on Latino mentees, mentors and school culture. A secondary area of interest was that of the interpersonal and programmatic dynamics that presented themselves during the implementation of a mentoring for urban Latino high school students. Data collection instruments included interviews, observations, questionnaires, journals and program documents. The findings suggest that mentors perceived the programmatic features of training, monitoring and Mentor Mingles as being very supportive of their mentoring role. Mentor qualities that fell into the Trust Theme, Personal Concern Theme, and Approachable Theme were considered to be very effective in building positive relationships with the mentee. The study found that there were four significant challenges that faced this mentoring program: time, financial resources, recruiting mentors and the building and maintenance of effective mentor/mentee relationships. Additionally the study found that Latino students had many perspectives on how to improve their high experience and build school culture. Implications for practice include ensuring that mentoring programs are built around programmatic features that constitute best practice; making mentors aware that certain qualities are more effective in building quality relationships with the mentee; developing strategies for the challenges of time, recruiting mentors, financial resources and building and maintaining effective mentor/mentee relationships; and developing the schools ability to assess school culture among certain student populations. Limitations of this study included the researcher's role as headmaster, researcher bias, small sample size and the relatively brief study time. Recommendations for future study include monitoring the mentored Latino students and reporting on their graduation rates, conducting an additional study with a control group of Latino students who do not have the benefit of participating in a mentoring program, studying the impact of family configurations as they relate to the success of the mentees, an analysis of the mentor's age and success of the mentoring relationship, a similar mentoring program study on a different ethnic group, and a study and analysis of students mentored by teachers as opposed to non-teachers. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration. / Thesis advisor: / Thesis advisor: / Thesis advisor:

Thesis advisor: Jennie Purnell / In December of 2005, the United States House of Representatives passed the infamous Sensenbrenner-King immigration reform legislation that, if written into law, would have negatively affected the situation of millions of undocumented workers in the United States, mostly originating from Latin America. In response, the Latino community in the U.S. mobilized to organize a wave of rallies across the country during the spring of 2006. This thesis explores the construction of the collective action frame employed by movement organizers to mobilize protesters. It ultimately finds that the rhetoric of assimilation was chosen because of its ability to resonate both with the goal of effecting political change as well as with the identity of the potential audience. It was nevertheless found to be inadequate in addressing the larger issues of injustice affecting immigrants as it served to reinforce and perpetuate the oppression of consciousness that has often left Latinos feeling that their heritage must be rejected in order to be deemed worthy of certain rights in the United States. While movement organizers managed to mobilize millions of people across the country, their influence on legislation has yet to be seen, as no immigration reforms have been written into law as of the writing of this thesis. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2007. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: International Studies. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

Thesis advisor: Thomas O'Hare / With implications for chronic disease and mortality, alcohol-related problems represent a threat to population health. Among U.S. Latinos, the process of acculturation has traditionally been identified as a predictor of drinking outcomes. However, past research on the relationship between acculturation and drinking has varied widely, leaving uncertainties regarding the circumstances under which the relationship operates or the reasons why the relationship is observed. The present study therefore explored the intricacies of the relationship between acculturation-related measures and drinking outcomes among U.S. Latinos, highlighting within-group variation based on sex and heritage country/region and the importance of examining mediators. Using a population-based probability sample of U.S. adults (NESARC-III, 2012-2013), the present study examined data from 7,037 self-identified Latinos. Using multivariable regression analyses, the study tested relationships between various conventionally-used acculturation measures (including proxy measures and an acculturation scale) and a range of drinking outcomes: drinking status, average daily ethanol intake, and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder. Moderation analyses examined the role of sex and heritage country/region. Finally, the study employed mediation analysis to test the hypothesized role of self-reported perceived ethnic discrimination as a mediator in the relationship between acculturation-related measures and drinking outcomes. Results indicated a significant and positive, albeit modest, relationship between acculturation-related measures and a range of drinking outcomes. Many of these relationships varied by sex or heritage country/region, depending on the specific acculturation-related measure and drinking outcome examined. Notably, the link between acculturation-related measures and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder was consistent for men and women. For Latino men, results of mediation analyses indicated that self-reported perceived ethnic discrimination acted as a partial mediator in the relationship between two acculturation-related measures and past-year DSM-5 alcohol use disorder. This finding lends credence to the notion that ethnic discrimination and experiences of “othering”—which can accompany the process of acculturation—may help explain problem drinking in U.S. Latino adult men. Further research is needed to uncover the variety of experiences or structures of discrimination involved in problem drinking among U.S. Latinos. Mediators in the relationship between acculturation and problem drinking may provide opportunities for intervention to weaken this detrimental relationship. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Pan-americanismo versus Latino-americanismo. Origens de um debate na virada dos séculos XIX-XX O tema deste estudo é o surgimento do Pan-americanismo como expressão política da transformação dos Estados Unidos em potencia dominante no hemisfério ocidental no final do século XIX, e o desenvolvimento de seu oposto contraditório, o Latino-americanismo, que visa a unidade dos países da América Latina. Ambos campos reformulam as respectivas referências históricas do período que se seguiu à Independência. O Pan-americanismo está diretamente vinculado à política exterior norte-americana, e emerge paralelo a um aumento das contradições sociais em aquele país. O Latino-americanismo se desenvolveu em uma dialética de avanços e retrocessos, de maneira desigual nos diferentes países latinoamericanos. A partir da Guerra Hispano-americana de 1898, os Estados Unidos iniciaram um agressivo movimento expansionista no Caribe no contexto de sua projeção como potencia mundial. O conteúdo político do Latino-americanismo foi sendo definido ao ritmo da diferenciação social nas nações latino-americanas, até se carregar de sentido explicitamente antiimperialista. O programa da unidade da América Latina contra a dominação imperialista dos Estados Unidos estabeleceu-se como tarefa histórica para o continente. / Panamericanismo versus Latinoamericanismo. Orígenes de un debate en el pasaje de los siglos XIX-XX El tema de este estudio es el surgimiento del Panamericanismo como expresión política de la transformación de los Estados Unidos en potencia dominante en el hemisferio occidental a fines del siglo XIX, y el desarrollo de su opuesto contradictorio, el Latinoamericanismo, que apunta a la unidad de los países de América Latina. Ambos campos reformularon las respectivas referencias históricas del período posterior a la Independencia. El Panamericanismo está directamente vinculado a la política exterior norteamericana, y emerge paralelo a un aumento de las contradicciones sociales en aquel país. El Latinoamericanismo se desarrolló en una dialéctica de avances y retrocesos, de manera desigual en los diferentes países latinoamericanos. A partir de la Guerra Hispanoamericana de 1898, los Estados Unidos iniciaron un agresivo movimiento expansionista en el Caribe en el contexto de su proyección como potencia mundial. El contenido político del Latinoamericanismo fue siendo definido al ritmo de la diferenciación social en las naciones latinoamericanas, hasta cargarse de sentido explícitamente antiimperialista. El programa de la unidad de América Latina contra la dominación imperialista de los Estados Unidos se estableció como tarea histórica para el continente.

Dissertação apresentada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Integração Contemporânea da América Latina da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, como requisito à obtenção do título de Mestre em Integração Latino- Americana. Orientador: Prof. Dr. Gerson Galo Ledezma Meneses. / Submitted by Fabio Castanheira (fabio.castanheira@aluno.unila.edu.br) on 2017-10-30T14:35:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Fabio Castanheira.pdf: 1051397 bytes, checksum: 386219df11c411cc1154a1d8d51051e9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Nilson Junior (nilson.junior@unila.edu.br) on 2017-10-30T14:38:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Fabio Castanheira.pdf: 1051397 bytes, checksum: 386219df11c411cc1154a1d8d51051e9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-30T14:38:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Fabio Castanheira.pdf: 1051397 bytes, checksum: 386219df11c411cc1154a1d8d51051e9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-30 / Atualmente, la América Latina presenta un panorama favorable para la discusíón de la homofobia, una vez en que el tema, esta cada dia en destaque em nuevos discursos y discusiones políticas, em las mídias y en la sociedade. La discusión va más allá de las fronteras. Según Borrillo (2009), la homofobia es la violencia física y simbólica em contra de los gays, lesbianas, travestis y transexuales u todavía, uma actitud de hostilidad en relación a los homosexuales, una manifestación arbitraria que consiste en calificar al otro como contrario, inferior o anormal. Así, esta disertación objetiva discutir la formación de la homofobia y sus consecuencias en la Universidad Federal de la Integración Latinoamericana (UNILA), presentando un escenario general sobre los datos y estatísticas que resultan en la violencia motivada en razón de orientación sexual homoafetiva. Así, se ofrecerá subsídios en el intento de compreender la discusión de las causas que llevan a la homofobia, dentro de la perspectiva de la teoria de la colonialidad y la decolonialidad. Discutiremos sobre la Universidad Federal de Integración Latinoamericana, en este contexto colonizador, haciendo un breve análisis de algunos de los Proyectos Pedagógicos de Cursos (PPCs) y si estos, contemplan o no, assignaturas que discutan las raízes del prejuício homofóbico, entre ellos, el machismo y el patriarcado. En él último capítulo, será presentada uma discusión por médio de las encuestas realizadas a lo largo de la maestría y con personas de diferentes edades, etnias, clase social y origen sobre las diferentes formas de como ocurre la homofobia y como combatirla dentro y fuera de la UNILA, valéndose de acciones que son hechas por discentes, trabajadores de la universidad, militantes o no y grupos organizados / Atualmente a América Latina apresenta um panorama favorável à discussão da homofobia, uma vez que o tema está cada vez mais em evidência nos discursos e ações políticas, nas mídias e na sociedade. A discussão ultrapassa as fronteiras. Segundo Borrillo (2009), homofobia é a violência física e simbólica contra lésbicas, gays, travestis e transexuais ou ainda, uma atitude de hostilidade para com os homossexuais, uma manifestação arbitrária que consiste em qualificar o outro como contrário, inferior ou anormal. Assim, o objetivo desta dissertação será discutir a formação da homofobia e suas consequências no âmbito da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA), apresentando um panorama geral sobre os dados e estatísticas que resultam em violência, causada em razão da orientação sexual homoafetiva. Desta forma, oferecer-se-á subsídios que permitam entender a discussão das causas que levam a homofobia e consequentemente ao comportamento homofóbico e, propor uma discussão que vise a compreensão dos discursos que levam à prática homofóbica, embasando esta discussão dentro da teoria colonial/decolonial. Discutiremos sobre a Universidade Federal da Integração Latino Americana neste contexto colonizador, fazendo uma breve análise de alguns Projetos Pedagógicos de Cursos (PPCs) verificando se estes, contemplam ou não disciplinas que discutam as raízes do preconceito homofóbico, entre eles o machismo e o patriarcado. No último capítulo, apresentaremos uma discussão através de entrevistas realizadas ao longo do mestrado e com pessoas de diferentes segmentos, etnia, idade, classe social e origem, sobre como se dá a homofobia e o combate a mesma dentro e fora da UNILA, através de diferentes ações realizadas por discentes, servidores da Universidade, militantes ou não e grupos organizados.