White dreams and red votes: Mexican Americans and the lure of inclusion in the Republican Party

摘要

The significance of racial self-identification formation and how it influences voting or political affiliation of Latinos has been neglected in sociological analyses of whiteness and white identity formation. Whiteness studies can benefit from an analysis of how Latinos residing in the United States wield their vote as an expression of racial identity. As the racial, linguistic and cultural forms of 'American identity' in the United States are currently being contested, the question arises, what racial identity will 'new' citizens to the United States adopt, and under what circumstances? When the invisible marker of 'true' citizenship is the unquestioned acceptance of hegemonic whiteness, how will racially stigmatized ethnic groups respond politically? The project analyses Mexican American voting patterns on California's Proposition 187 and the 2004 United States presidential race. The data show that Mexican American vote choice is significantly related to their racial identity. Interviews with 156 naturalized citizens reveal that Mexican Americans are confronted by identity interplay between nationalism, ethnicity and race when considering how to vote. The research suggests shifting identity negotiations within the Mexican American community that explain the rise in Latino votes for Republican candidates and that Latinos may use their vote instrumentally to express a racial identity that breeches the borders of 'whiteness'.