Focusing on the culture, politics and society of the distinctive Latino communities in the United States, The Latino Studies Reader draws on the most interesting recent work from Latino scholars and social critics in a comparative perspective. Representing over 10% of the population in the United States, and growing faster than any other ethnic group, it is now more important than ever to examine the issues of Latinos who are predicted to become the largest ethnic-minority group by the year 2009. Conventional theories of 'race' and 'race relations', with its exclusive black/white focus, present serious theoretical problems as applied to Latinos. Therefore, Darder and Torres use class analysis as the major theoretical perspective in order to understand Latinos through social scientific theoretical and conceptual ideas. To reflect the variety of home countries and divergent socio-economic backgrounds of Latinos, The Latino Studies Reader draws on the experiences of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cubanos, Caribbeans, Central and South Americans living in the United States. The volume is organized around four major themes: culture and histories; cultural politics; gender, sexuality and power; and labor and politics.