RACIALIZATION OF LATINX IMMIGRANTS: The Role of (Seemingly) Positive Newspaper Discourse

• Published in: Du Bois review 2020-01, Vol.17 (1), p.125-146
• Main Authors: Estrada, Emily P., Cabaniss, Emily R., Coury, Shelby A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Civil rights; Employment; Gender roles; Hierarchies; Immigrants; Immigration; Mass media images; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority groups; Narratives; News media; Noncitizens; Obama, Barack; Presidents; Race; Racialization; Racism; Rhetoric; State of the Union Address; Trump, Donald J; White people; Xenophobia
• ISSN: 1742-058X; 1742-0598
• DOI: 10.1017/S1742058X20000168

Xenophobic narratives that describe Latinx immigrants as culturally deficient, threatening, and undeserving lawbreakers have received extensive scrutiny from the public and academics alike. However, few scholars have examined the positive narratives that surround this group, an especially important line of inquiry given the nature and prevalence of colorblind racial ideology today. In this paper, we consider how (seemingly) positive elite news media discourse contributes to the racialization of Latinx immigrants. We analyzed 1383 frames derived from newspaper articles appearing on the front page of The New York Times between 2001 and 2019. We found that even supportive articles contribute to the racialization of this group by subtly reinforcing boundaries between “us” and “them,” especially when compared to positive articles about non-Latinx immigrants. Specifically, positive newspaper articles portrayed Latinx immigrants as economically exploitable, as vulnerable but blameworthy, and as mostly illegal. We also found that positive newspaper articles portrayed both Latinx and non-Latinx immigrants as devoted to their families and traditional gender roles. However, we argue that this depiction reinforces a hierarchy based on White notions of deservingness. Our analysis shows the flexibility of colorblind discourse to prop up existing racial hierarchies in U.S. society and to “Other” racial and ethnic minorities.