Proving Patriotismo - by Adam McGlynn & Jessica Lavariega Monforti (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Proving Patriotismo moves beyond anecdotal discussions of the Latino military experience. The authors use empirical evidence to demonstrate how the intersection of poverty, patriotism and ethnicity create an environment where the U.S. military can increase their ranks through the service of Latinos eager for a better life and American belonging.

Review Quotes

In Proving Patriotismo, McGlynn and Lavariega-Monforti address a paradox: In the face of continued anti-Latino, especially anti-Mexican, prejudice and marginalization in U.S. society, why do so many Latinx youth, both men and women, enlist in the U.S. military? Using historical, interview, and survey evidence, the authors explore the roots of Latino patriotismo and analyze the poverty draft, describing how Latinx individuals perceive the educational and economic benefits of military service. This unique book raises important new questions about the role of military service in the Latino community's elusive quest for full acceptance in U.S. society.

Latino military service is often framed as being based on patriotism and a desire for belonging, and as a means of pushing back against anti-Latino discrimination. Using interviews with teachers and administrators, original surveys of students and veterans, as well as national data, Lavariega Monforti and McGlynn examine the ways in which Latino students in the Rio Grande Valley are victimized by the poverty draft and dishonest recruiters and encouraged to enlist in the U.S. armed forces. Influenced by underlying incentives to perform patriotism, students are told that military service is their best route to achieving their dreams but little about the dangers of service or the military's history of institutional racism. This is a gripping book about the ways in which high-achieving, economically-challenged young Latinos are socialized to enlist -- a narrative that the authors call out for being ethically questionable even as military service does clearly provide some benefits to Latinos who choose to serve.

The military is an institution that shapes the lives of millions of Americans. How experiences with the military affect the broader relationship between Latinos and the government has been an understudied topic until now. By collecting and analyzing original data, the authors are able to inform us about this topic. Their focus on the Rio Grande Valley, an important but often ignored hub of Latino life in the United States, also deserves praise.

Using multiple methods of research and analysis, this book demonstrates with nuanced historical contextualization, analytical clarity, solid evidence, and deep political insight the degree to which Latinx youth in the Rio Grande Valley are subjected to a racialized "poverty draft" that plays upon their feelings of patriotism and their desires for egalitarian recognition, personal honor, and social mobility to enlist them in military service despite little material or symbolic reward from their country.

About the Author

Adam McGlynn is professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science and Economics at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Jessica Lavariega Monforti is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at California Lutheran University