L’entrée des Latinos sur la scène métropolitaine américaine : une ambivalence marquée par des tensions politiques et une influence certaine sur le désir de centralité

Abstract

The American city in the beginning of the 21st century looks different from the tradition model of the industrial city as elaborated by the Chicago School. It has received large flows of immigration coming from different parts of the world, it has gone through a deep economic restructuring process (in relation with the globalization of the economy) and has registered social and cultural changes linked to political mobilizations for the advancement of civil rights in favour of African-Americans. Hence the political participation of Latinos is embedded in these social, economic, cultural and political changes. This process may take different forms according to the singularity of the city and to the specificity of the Latino population. In Los Angeles, the involvement of Mexican-Americans and other Latino populations is perceived on an ambivalent model: it raises interethnic tensions for access to public services while it contributes to influence the debate in favour of a centrality built around public spaces.

Keywords

• centrality
• Latinos
• Chicanos
• Mexican-Americans
• African-Americans
• public space