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Clara E. Rodríguez As is befitting a book on Latinas/os at the start of the 21st century, the chapters in this volume reflect the contemporary panorama of Latinas/os in the United States. Today, Latinas/os are the largest minority group. They accounted for 12. 5% of the total U. S. population in the last decennial census; recent estimates sho wed the Hispanic population to be 41. 3 million as of July 1 1, 2004, or 14% of the nation's total population. However, this estimate does not include the 3. 9 million residents of Puerto Rico, who are also U. S. citizens and would raise the total to 2 45. 2 million. This would make the U. S. population of Latinos the second-largest Spanish-origin population in the hemisphere, after Mexico. The growth of this population since 1980 has been dramatic. Hispanics/Latinos grew more than seven times faster than the population of the nation as a whole, increasing by half, whereas the white (non-Hispanic) population increased by only 6% between 1980 and 1990 (U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1991, Table 1; U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1993, p. 2). In the 1990s, the Hispanic population increased 58%. Moreover, between 2003 and 2004, one of every two people added to 3 the nation's population was Hispanic/Latino. Consequently, not only are Latinos a substantial part of the U. S. population, but they account for half its population growth.
Summary
This unique volume presents a holistic and multidisciplinary perspective of the Latina/o population in the United States, and it critically documents how they have changed and will continue to change the face of America. The book addresses important theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of this group. The authors seek to educate and increase awareness of the diversity that exists among the Latina/o population, and to carefully examine the social, economic, demographic, cultural, and political impacts and contributions that this growing population has had in the United States. The book has a multidisciplinary focus, which includes the collaboration and contributions of scholars from a diverse number of disciplines.
