Mestizaje : Re Mapping Race Culture And Faith In Latina Latino Catholicism

The concept of Mestizaje–a reference to the distinctive biological and cultural intermixture that occurred in the “New World”–has become a foundational category in U.S. Latina/o theology. This book traces the subversive and innovative ways in which Catholic theologians, such as Virgilio Elizondo, Orlando Espin, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, and Pilar Aquino, have turned this concept into a powerful framework for articulating the experiences of faith of Latina/o communities. At the same time the author examines some of the limitations and contradictions inherent in this concept and explores new language for describing the vibrant and complex ethno-cultural and religious identity of Latina/o communities today.