Community and Identity in a Hyper Pan-Latinx Community

• In Event: 2429 - Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Roundtable 11

Abstract

"Latinx core community" is a re-emerging concept used to characterize enclaves that are imbued with a group's cultural identity and thus presumed to foster solidarity and help immigrants acclimate to new lives in the U.S. Unfortunately, while Latinx communities are becoming more heterogeneous, this concept is mainly applied to places that are dominated by one Latinx sub-group. We thus explore the potential for building a pan-Latinx core community on Bergenline Avenue - a densely populated enclave that is home to more than eighteen different Latinx sub-groups, but with no clear majority. Drawing on multiple data sources, we highlight three examples of pan-Latinx identity-making and the potential for a "hyper pan-Latinx core community:" 1) entrepreneurial projects that line the neighborhood streets, 2) a hybridized language landscape that accommodates generational and national diversity, and 3) public sacred spaces that cultivate bonds across nation-lines. We conclude with implications for well-being and future research.

Author

• Alex Trillo, Saint Peter's University