Robert Blauner\'s Hypothesis: How it

Robert Blauner's Hypothesis: How It Relates To Hispanics

Robert Blauner's hypothesis is often called the "internal colonialism" hypotheis. (1969). In other words, the images, language, and ideology of an oppressive society, such as inflicted by whites upon blacks, for example, causes blacks to assume that white facial features, ways of speaking, and ideas are better than those historically attributed to the African-American community. It might be assumed that the same is true of other marginalized groups, such as Hispanics. However, contrary to Blauner's hypothesis, there are some positive aspects unique to Hispanic identification. Blauner's hypothesis was based largely upon studies of blacks and whites, and attempted to explain why an end to segregation and an expansion of economic and educational opportunities would not automatically lead to success for the formerly legally oppressed community of African-Americans. (Blauner, 1969)

But today, many Hispanic immigrants create revenue for their community, and sources of positive economic growth and self-identification by creating their own demand for ethnic-relevant goods. Other Hispanics cater to those needs and thus these businesses generate new jobs in the community, by other community members. "Immigration plays a very important economic role in most cities with large Latino concentrations, and is almost entirely ignored in Wilson's original African-American centered theory." Immigrants, through language and a common culture create their own hegemonic or enclosed society, such as 'Little Havana' in Cuban Miami. Also, the Catholic Church forms a common center of unity in many communities, and geographical ties to the Latin American nation or homeland through shared accents, genealogy, and cultural specifics create positive affirmations of image and ideas unique to the Hispanic community. (Moore, 1997)

However, the large visual presence of so-called casually self-employed Hispanic workers in many communities, employed in underpaid street vending, front-yard sales, yard work and "handyman" work for homeowners, child and elder care, hair care, and household services corresponds to the popular stereotype of the immigrant laborer may still create a lower level of group expectations for larger society. Such a presence can contributes to the media-generated stereotype of the limited aspirational level of the community in the so-called 'white world,' much in the same way that negative portraits of African-Americans create a form of internal colonialization through media fixations upon Black criminals, for example, as opposed to Black civic and professional leaders, although such leaders exist. (Moore, 1997)