The social construction of Puerto Ricans in introductory sociology textbooks, 1987--2003

Most societies categorize and label their members. Often labels involve race and ethnicity. Ethnic categorizations can be imposed by government agencies and/or chosen by groups and individuals to participate in social life and to make sense of their identity. Thus the question of how labels are constructed and why they persist is central to the discipline of sociology.; A controversial ethnic label in sociology and in the United States is the “Hispanic” ethnic category. Under this rubric many groups are studied and presented. In this study, I examined the social construction of Puerto Ricans in 39 introductory sociology textbooks published and/or copyrighted during 1983–2003. The research aimed to discover how the sociological labels and the categories created by introductory sociology textbooks include and portray Puerto Ricans.; This study used a quantitative and qualitative research design. Specifically, content analysis of introductory sociology textbooks was conducted in three key areas. These areas included the amount of coverage, the geography of coverage, and the representation of Puerto Ricans in a sample of 39 introductory sociology textbooks sample.; Results of the study suggested that the amount of coverage of the Puerto Rican group in introductory sociology textbooks is limited. When included, the geography of coverage resided in what I called the barrio or chapter on race and ethnicity. In addition, the coverage and representation of Puerto Ricans followed a social problems perspective with a focus on social disadvantageousness, poverty, and female-headed households.; The study concluded with a discussion of the implications of these findings and recommendations for further study, including textbook revisions.