An in-depth look at how U.S. Latino advocacy groups are using ethnoracial demographic projections to bring about political change in the present

For years, newspaper headlines, partisan speeches, academic research, and even comedy routines have communicated that the United States is undergoing a profound demographic transformation-one that will purportedly change the "face" of the country in a matter of decades. But the so-called browning of America, sociologist Michael Rodriguez-Muniz contends, has less to do with the complexion of growing populations than with past and present struggles shaping how demographic trends are popularly imagined and experienced. Offering an original and timely window into these struggles, Figures of the Future explores the population politics of national Latino civil rights groups.

Based on eight years of ethnographic and qualitative research, spanning both the Obama and Trump administrations, this book investigates how several of the most prominent of these organizations-including UnidosUS (formerly NCLR), the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Voto Latino-have mobilized demographic data about the Latino population in dogged pursuit of political recognition and influence. In census promotions, get-out-the-vote campaigns, and policy advocacy, this knowledge has been infused with meaning, variously serving as future-oriented sources of inspiration, emblems for identification, and weapons for contestation. At the same time, Rodriguez-Muniz considers why these political actors have struggled to translate this demographic growth into tangible political gain and how concerns about white backlash have affected how they forecast demographic futures.

Figures of the Future looks closely at the politics surrounding ethnoracial demographic changes and their rising influence in U.S. public debate and discourse.

About the Author
Michael Rodriguez-Muniz is assistant professor of sociology and Latina/Latino studies at Northwestern University.

Reviews
"Winner of the Otis Dudley Duncan Book Award, Population Section of the American Sociological Association"
"Winner of the Mary Douglas Prize, Culture Section of the American Sociological Association"
"Winner of the Best Book Award, Latino/a Section of the American Sociological Association"
"Honorable Mention for the Charles Tilly Distinguished Book Award, Collective Behavior and Social Movements Section of the American Sociological Association"
"Incredibly original and innovative. . . . [Figures of the Future] is an outstanding contribution to the field."---Julie A. Dowling, Social Forces
"[Rodriguez-Muniz] takes readers to the frontline of Latino advocacy and vividly describes how activists use demographic figures for political persuasion. . . . As the lofty optimism of a supposedly post-racial future was shattered by a dystopian embrace of white supremacy, many of us are still dizzy from this ride. Against this backdrop, Rodriguez-Muniz provides us with critical tools to evaluate where we stand and where we go from here."---Sunmin Kim, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
"Rodriguez-Muniz crafts a conscientious, sociologically informed narrative that is approachable yet critical, and that engages while challenging the reader." * Sociological Viewpoints *



Book Information
ISBN 9780691259130
Author Michael Rodriguez-Muniz
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press