Migrations are formed in the convergence and divergence of Latin American culture with different cultures. This relationship with the “other” is simultaneously of acceptance and rejection. The diasporas have to invent their own identity which is different from the old identity.
Claudio Chipana
In recent decades, Latin American immigration in the United Kingdom has increased (refer to “No longer invisible”, Queen Mary University, 2010).
This migration, which, in the case of Great Britain, intensified above all in the decade of the 90s, has produced the formation of a Latin American diaspora that has increased with immigrants coming from Spain and Italy in the 2000s (refer to “Towards visibility”, Queen Mary University, 2016). In Great Britain, the Latin American population is currently estimated at a quarter of a million. The Latin American diasporas scattered throughout the world contribute to the construction of Latin American identity.
The diasporas are not a mere replica or extension of national identities. They are formed in the convergence and divergence of Latin American culture with different cultures. This relationship with the “other” is simultaneously of acceptance and rejection. The diasporas have to invent their own identity which is different from the old identity. Theirs is an “intermediary” culture in the “limit” as H. Bhabha would say.
In the process, it has to confront discrimination and racism. The Latino migrant like all migrants must reinvent their identity, adapt, and integrate. In any case, it is a temporary and unstable identity.
The immigrant has to adopt diverse characteristics: name, profession, nationality, etc. Latin Americans contribute with their labour but the major strength of their identity is in their culture, such as it is expressed in their music, language, dance, history and narrative.
Latin Americans in the UK and recognition
For the first time in 2012 the Latin American community was recognized as an ethnic minority in the London Borough of Southwark.
This fact marked an important achievement in the history of Latin Americans in the United Kingdom since the XIX century, which saw the arrival of the Liberators of Latin American independence in London (Bolivar, San Martín, Miranda and others).
In 2010, a campaign for the recognition of Latinos as an ethnic minority with the category “Latin American” (LARC, Latin American Recognition Campaign) was created in London.
This campaign opposed another campaign that proposed the ethnic category “Ibero American”. The debate over the category, Latin American, occurred in the United Kingdom within the process of the 2011 national census.
The objective of LARC was to mark the ethnic category “Latin American” in the national census forms.
In 2010, a report “No Longer Invisible” by Queen Mary University showed for the first time the situation of Latin Americans in terms of housing, work, immigration status, health, etc.
In 2012 the first official recognition of the Latin American community as an ethnic minority by Southwark Council occurred. After, a similar recognition by Lambeth, Hackney, and Islington Councils followed. In 2016, a new report titled “Towards visibility: the Latin American community in London”, appeared relating the recent migratory wave of Latin Americans from Spain and Italy.
Recently, the question of identity has acquired a large following due to globalisation and the migratory dynamics which have questioned the traditional understanding of identity.
Due to the technological transformation in communication networks, traditional identities have given way to the formation of new identities and the disruption of the traditional concept of nation and local.
These changes have encouraged the deepening of cultural differences and an identity crisis that has put in question the idea of a homogenous nation and monoculture.
Responding to this, nationalist and populists manifestations from conservative sectors and xenophobic and racist demonstrations have appeared.
However; this cultural difference doesn’t necessarily lead to a clash of cultures but to interaction and dialogue. That is what has occurred with Latin American identity, which has been the result of a history of colonization and domination but also emancipation and diversity. The multicultural view point presumes to break with cultural difference to include the “other” migrants, and minorities. The migrations and diasporas, for their part, have transformed societies and generated new identities.
Latin American identity is a good example of the possibility of living together and the mixing of races, traditions and cultures. “Mestizaje” ( mixed race) is what characterizes Latin America and includes the African, European, and indigenous as principal cultural elements.
Consequently, Latin American identity isn’t a single homogenous culture. It is comprised of multiple identities. What is characteristic of Latin America is its great racial, linguistic, cultural and ethnic diversity.
Latin American identity has its roots in the ancestral cultures that predated the European presence.
This identity will have new phases with colonialism and independence and persists until the present with the emergence of important diasporas from Latin American throughout the world.
Another facet of the Latin American identity is the integration of Latin American nations. The integration presupposes a common solution to common problems, a common history and common culture. Poverty, illiteracy, backwardness, inequality, on the one hand and social inclusion, recognition of minorities, on the other, form part of this common purpose that forms the shared root that is Latin American identity. In the United Kingdom, the Latin American community has achieved important steps towards recognition as an ethnic minority. In some London Councils it has been recognized for the first time. For this community, it has been an important step towards gaining visibility and recognition in British society.
Identity isn’t a fixed characteristic. Latin American identity continues constructing itself/being constructed, and is understood because of the social transformations which occurred in the last decades, every time, more as an identity of “us” from a bigger community. Because of that, today, many understand Latin American identity as the identity of the “Patria Grande”.
(Translated by Inez Cifuentes) – Photos: Pixabay
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