so-called "Latino vote." The existence of a coherent, pan-ethnic Latino political agenda is, as this book shows, not only highly debatable, but democratically unviable. Situated at the intersection of political theory and Latino studies, The Trouble with Unity is a nuanced critique of civic Latinidad and the Latino electoral and protest politics that work to erase diversity and debate in favor of images of commonality. Cristina Beltrán looks at key moments in U.S. Latino political history through the lens of political, feminist, and cultural thought to provide a theoretically driven account of the many ways in which Latinos lay claim to the public realm. In its innovative approach to the realities of Latino protest politics, The Trouble with Unity advances both social movement and democratic political theory.

Hide more