Implicit utopias and ambiguous ethnics: Latinidad and the representational promised land

This chapter explores some of the major contours of the implicitly utopian elements of representational politics and some of the attendant debates that accompany efforts despite the outcomes. Implicit yet unarticulated utopias guide much of the research and activism about issues of discourse and representation, production, and audience and interpretation in Ethnic Studies in general and in Latina/o Media Studies in particular. A starting point for addressing the difficulties of advocating for a representational utopia is the diversity and hybridity within Latinidad. A unified utopian dream would be difficult enough from within a population that was more or less homogeneous. Tension between a stereotype or easily recognizable racialized discourse and erasure or subtle presence places mainstream media producers in a difficult position. A commonsense belief that English mainstream media signals a coming-of-age implied that the crossover was our utopian goal. The Academia Latina members select the nominations on the basis of artistic achievement rather than sales.