Where Is the Geography? The Geographical Predicaments of the Panethnic Terms Hispanic and Latino

In this article I outline the geographical and political problems associated with the terms Hispanic and Latino. To this end, I offer a four-tiered framework to help address these problems. Ultimately, I illustrate how these terms stem from (mis)perceptions deeply ingrained in academic and political imageries of Latin American populations. I discuss how these panethnic terms relate to a geographical predicament, and claim that their myopic perception in the academy feeds itself as much as it feeds U.S. policies. A plea is made here for the demythologization of a continent that is viewed as exclusively Spanish-speaking with an exclusive colonial heritage tied to Spain. My goal is to show how these views have continued to perpetuate powerful, intuitive yet deceptive representations of Latin America. I conclude that it behooves geographers and scholars to re-think, contest, and ultimately revise the interpretation and navigation of the terms Hispanic/Latino as they have been taken for granted.