The Latino trend: Identity, influence and transformations in U.S. television

This dissertation explores how the social and cultural phenomenon defined as the Latino trend is expressed in U.S. television. It addresses what happens when Latino identity is articulated in English and how increased Latino presence influences mainstream culture. The analysis explores the influence of Latino-themed television on the process of cultural hybridization in the U.S. and it attempts to explain the relationship between mass media and the changing social status of Latinos. It considers social debates over the Latino trend and explores how mainstream television adapts to the changing cultural landscape.;This dissertation's overarching methodological approach is discourse analysis of the television texts representative of the Latino trend. This study examines the way in which contemporary ideologies of Latino ethnicity are articulated, embraced or challenged on U.S television. This project studies a representative sample of Latino-oriented television programming on English-language networks from the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 television seasons, including Ugly Betty, The West Wing, The George Lopez Show, Mind of Mencia, and Freddie. Additionally, through a close reading of press coverage of the Latino trend, the analysis locates the television programs within their institutional and social contexts. The analysis illustrates the discursive interconnections of reality, fiction, and performance and the cultural, social, political, and ethnic ideologies and discourses that inform the understanding of television texts. This project contributes to the academic debate in three areas of television studies---ethnic representation, identity and television genres---and it confirms the status of television as a main site for cultural dialogues and social debates.;This dissertation argues that symbolic representation provides clues for identity construction and validates cultural trends. The analysis provides evidence of mediated Latino identities that exist without fluency in Spanish. It further argues that English-speaking Latinos can exercise more control over their mediated representations. With regard to non-Latino audiences, this dissertation claims that the Latino trend offers reassuring narratives of immigration and assimilation that may contribute to ease social tensions. In the realm of cultural hybridity, this dissertation provides evidence of the influence of Latin American television genres on the aesthetics and style of mainstream television in the United States.