2025/06/01 by Stephanie A. Dhuman · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Critical Race Theory in Education #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Latin American and Latino Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/soc4.70077
openalex publication_date 2025/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
ABSTRACT Past sociological research on Black‐Latinx relations in the United States details experiences that often take one of two routes: contention or cohesion. In this paper, I overview frames that account for Black‐Latinx relations in past research evidencing contention (racial threat and group position) and cohesion (rainbow coalition and linked fate), discussing past studies that show how these operate within communities. Factors such as anti‐Blackness and colonial pressures, anti‐Latinx and anti‐immigrant sentiment, historic community relations and context of reception, and perceived competition over resources all contribute to rather complex intergroup relations. While overviewing past research is imperative to understanding the current state of Black‐Latinx relations, I end by raising important considerations for the field moving forward. First, closer attention should be given to the fluid boundary between “Black” and “Latinx,” as Afro‐Latinidad and Afro‐Latinx experiences are crucial to understanding broader group relations. Recent research in Black‐Latinx communities also calls attention to alternatives beyond the contention‐cohesion binary, encouraging us to be cognizant that experiences with displacement may hinder the willingness to coalesce, even when shared racializing experiences and structural barriers persist. As communities continue to diversify, it becomes increasingly important to understand how Black‐Latinx relations operate on‐the‐ground.