APA Newsletter on Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy
Author(s)
Alex Madva
Editor(s)
Amy Reed-Sandoval; Caroline T. Arruda
Abstract
Can research on implicit bias shed light on issues related to teaching Latina/os in philosophy? Yes, with caveats. In particular, no one will be surprised to learn that implicit bias against (and among) Latina/os and Latin Americans is severely understudied. While Latina/os make up the largest minority group in the United States, recent estimates suggest that there is more than six times as much research on stereotyping and prejudice against African-Americans as there is against Latina/os. I speculate about some causes and remedies for this disparity, but my primary aims in this essay are different. First, I attempt to stitch together the general literature regarding anti-Latina/o bias with the general literature regarding bias in education in order to convey some of the basic challenges that bias likely poses to Latina/o students. Second, I consider whether Latin American philosophy might itself serve a bias-reducing function. Specifically, I sketch—in tentative and promissory terms—how the traditional “problem” of group identity explored in Latina/o and Latin American thought might function as part of the “solution” to the stereotypes and prejudices that have helped to sustain an exclusionary atmosphere in Anglo-American philosophy. Given the dearth of literature on the situation of Latina/os in philosophy, my claims here build on findings about the situations of minorities in education more broadly.
Thematic Cluster/Special Issue
Engaging Latin American, Hispanic/Latin@, and Chican@ Students in Philosophy
Pages
8-13
Volume
16
Issue
1
Keywords
Latinos, implicit bias, stereotypes, prejudice, diversity, philosophy, Latin American philosophy, social identity, Latinx, Latinas, Hispanic
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