How Spanish-language radio has influenced American and Latino
discourse on key current affairs issues such as citizenship and
immigration.
Winner, Book of the Year presented by the American Association of
Hispanics in Higher Education
Honorable Mention for the 2015 Latino Studies Best Book presented by the
Latin American Studies Association
The
last two decades have produced continued Latino population growth, and
marked
shifts in both communications and immigration policy. Since the 1990s,
Spanish-
language radio has dethroned English-language radio stations in major
cities
across the United States, taking over the number one spot in Los
Angeles,
Houston, Miami, and New York City. Investigating the cultural and
political
history of U.S. Spanish-language broadcasts throughout the twentieth
century, Sounds
of Belonging reveals how these changes have helped Spanish-language
radio
secure its dominance in the major U.S. radio markets.
Bringing together theories on the immigration experience with
sound and radio studies, Dolores Inés Casillas documents
how Latinos form listening relationships with Spanish-language radio
programming. Using a vast array of sources, from print culture and
industry
journals to sound archives of radio programming, she reflects on
institutional
growth, the evolution of programming genres, and reception by the
radio
industry and listeners to map the trajectory of Spanish-language radio,
from
its grassroots origins to the current corporate-sponsored business it
has
become. Casillas focuses on Latinos' use of Spanish-language radio to
help
navigate their immigrant experiences with U.S. institutions, for example
in
broadcasting discussions about immigration policies while providing
anonymity
for a legally vulnerable listenership. Sounds of Belonging proposes
that
debates of citizenship are not always formal personal appeals but a
collective
experience heard loudly through broadcast radio.
