Mobilizing the U.S. Latinx Vote: Media, Identity, and Politics(Routledge Focus on Digital Media and Culture)

This book examines the politics involved in the mobilization of the Latinx vote in America. Delving into the questions of race and identity formation in conjunction with the role of communication media, the author discusses the implications for Latinx voters and their place in the American political and racial system. Utilizing an in-depth study of the mobilizing efforts of national Latinx groups, along with a rigorous analysis of online media, news media, and electoral results, this book discusses: How the old notions of white and black America clash with the growing focus on Latinos How political organizers develop and use messages of racial solidarity to motivate people, what technologies are at their disposal, and what their use means How the study of new media is vital to exploring race in the 21st century, and why communication cannot ignore the racial legacies of the 20th century Theoretically located in between the fields of communication and racial/ethnic studies, this book will be of great relevance to scholars and students working in the field of communication studies, political communication, Latinx studies, and sociology.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Dreams of a United Latinx Polity Cultural and Political Change Meets Latinxs Introducing the Mediation of U.S. Latinx Identity Methodology Outline of Chapters The Mediation of Latinx Identity Before the Internet A Note on Terminology Contextualizing the Political and Economic Moment Racial Formation Theory Applied Minimization of Difference Denationalization Racialization New Media and U.S. Latinx Identity Naming in a Networked Society The "New Latino" and Online Expression Navigating American Democracy Online as a Latinx Political Mobilization in the Post-Modern Digital Era Digital Politics—Tools, Opportunities, and Vulnerabilities Campaigns and Political Advertising Online Voters as Audience-identity Constructions Post-modern Identity and Politics Towards a "New Latino" Hybrid The Professional Political Class of U.S. Latinxs Minimization of Difference Denationalization Racialization Other Emergent Themes Latinx Presentation, Digital Representation Platforms and Messages The End of DACA The Shutdown The 2018 Texas Democratic Primary New Tools, Old Practices? Media Coverage of the 2018 Midterms How the Media Talked About Latinx Voters Minimization of Difference Denationalization Racialization Telling the Latinx Story Conclusion Findings Summarized Contributions Summarized Limitations of Study Recommendations Future Directions

About the Author :
Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Texas A&M International University. He studies the relationship between digital media, popular culture, and identity making. He has previously published award-winning research on digital privacy in U.S. presidential campaigns and on presidential rhetoric regarding Latinxs in the United States. He is from El Paso, Texas