Short description:

The Latinx Philosophy Reader showcases a wide range of significant philosophical works about Latinx people and their experiences, displaying the breadth, distinctiveness, originality, and diversity of Latinx philosophy.

Long description:

The Latinx Philosophy Reader showcases a wide range of significant philosophical works about Latinx people and their experiences, displaying the breadth, distinctiveness, originality, and diversity of Latinx philosophy. Readings include discussions of what it is like to be perceived as undocumented, ethical quagmires affecting those who interpret for their family members, the difficulty of pursuing career success without compromising one?s cultural identity and values, the nature of citizenship, disputes about labels, the significance of language, and debates about the nature of Latinx identity.

The editors? detailed introduction orients readers with an overview of the origins of the field of Latinx philosophy, a guide to terminology, and a history of the idea of Latinx identity in the United States. The volume?s 35 readings are made up of both widely read and cited articles from journals and books and newly commissioned contributions from the leading voices in the field. All of them are organized into seven thematic units in contemporary Latinx philosophy:

1. Social Identity


2. Mestizaje and Indigeneity


3. Cross-Cultural Challenges


4. Epistemology, Phenomenology, and Coloniality


5. Language and Communication


6. Immigration and Citizenship


7. Metaphilosophy

Each of these seven units includes its own introduction that connects each reading to the overarching themes of the unit and volume. Throughout, the readings provide an accessible entry point to readers who are new to philosophy. The texts generate opportunities for philosophical reflection without requiring readers to consult additional resources to grasp the major insights. They can be read in any order, allowing for ready adaptation to the particular interests of instructors and students.

Key Features

• Includes accessible, previously published articles as well as newly commissioned contributions from leading voices in the field


• Foregrounds the explosion of more recent work on Latinx philosophy, while also including essential classic texts


• Provides a general introduction that contextualizes Latinx philosophy and explains its distinct and broader importance


• Includes seven smaller unit introductions that describe the importance and relevance of each reading in the unit


• Highlights a diversity of latinidades, or ways of being Latinx, portraying a range of Latinx experiences and concerns


• Provides reading and discussion questions for each chapter

"The Latinx Philosophy Reader is a welcome resource for anyone interested in the recent development and current state of the field. This thoughtfully curated collection will provide students with important introductions to how thinkers have wrestled with concepts like identity, coloniality, culture, agency, and epistemology?with U.S. Latines in mind. Established scholars, on the other hand, will appreciate having these crucial defining texts compiled in a single volume. This book offers the already familiar and the newly curious an invitation to dive into some of the most generative and exciting scholarly conversations of recent decades." 

?Michael Hames-García, Professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies and Interim Director of the Latino Research Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, USA 

Table of Contents:

(See proposal for full TOC.) Introduction VIII. Social Identity IX. Mestizaje and Indigeneity X. Cross-Cultural Challenges XI. Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, and Coloniality XII. Language and Communication XIII. Immigration and Citizenship XIV. Metaphilosophy