How are you using the term “Latino” in contrast to, lets say, Latin American or Chicano?
Chon Noriega: First of all, “Latino” is in contrast to Latin American. A lot of times there’s more of a willingness to talk about south of the U.S. rather than the presence of people of Latin American descent who are living in the U.S. (who would be “Latino”). It is a pan-ethnic term meant to include Chicano, Cuban American, Puerto Rican, Dominican and all of the other Latin American descent ethnicities and–in itself–is a contrast typically to the term “Hispanic”, which has been a census term for thirty-some years now. Guillén: You’re also meaning Latino to be gender inclusive; to mean Latina as well? Noriega: Yeah. The beauty of “Hispanic” is that it is gender-neutral. [Laughs.] A lot of people use “Latina/o” or her/Latina and him/Latino. That’s generally a distinction or a fine point that’s lost in the mainstream; but, it’s an important one. Guillén: In terms of the series subtitle “Latino Images in Film”, do you distinguish between “image” and “representation” in film? Noriega: “L
