"Latina/o Studies typically refers to Latina/o Studies programs in educational institutions, but it can also refer to a body of knowledge on and alternative approaches to the study of Latinos and Latinas in the United States. Although Latina/o Studies as a body of knowledge is more than a century old, Latina/o Studies programs are of a more recent vintage. Latina/o Studies can refer to programs focusing on Latinos and Latinas broadly or collectively to more specific programs such as Chicana/o Studies, Puerto Rican Studies, Dominican Studies, Cuban Studies, and Central American Studies. All of these programs were created only within the past 40 years. This entry looks at research about Latinos and Latinas and at academic programs that help to enlarge and disseminate this body of knowledge."
Victoria Santa Cruz (Peru, 1922 – 2014)
Still image from Victoria – Black and Woman, Repository MOLAA
Terminology: Latin American and Latino Studies
Latin American and Latino Studies represents the culture, history, society, economy, politics, religions, and arts of the people of four core regions North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean that were once colonized by Spain and Portugal. It is because of this colonization that the people of these regions speak the Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French).