In search of belonging

Latina/os are the fastest and youngest growing group in the USA, and Spanish- and English-language media industries are creating content specifically to capture bilingual second and third generation Latina/o audiences. In particular, transnational media corporations are producing and marketing mainstream and niche media to women and youth, both considered lucrative segments of the audience. This project provides in-depth ethnographic analysis of how Latina/o audiences engage with both mainstream and Spanish-language media. It asks: How do Latina/o audiences, particularly women, make sense of and engage with Latina/o-oriented media? Ethnographic material provides a rare glimpse into how Latina audiences perceive mediated representations of Latinas in mainstream and Spanish-language media. At the heart of the study are a diverse group of Latinas in Chicago who vary in ethnicity, class, age, and sexual orientation. --