미국의 인구조사, 통계정책지침 15, 그리고 ‘히스패닉/라티노’의 탄생

U.S. Census, Statistical Policy Directive 15, and the Invention of ‘Hispanic/Latino’

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In 1977, ‘Office of Management and Budget’ issued “Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting,” later known as “Statistical Policy Directive 15.” The Directive mandated categories to be used for the collection and dissemination of all race and ethnicity data by federal departments and administrative agencies. The Directive’s categories became the de facto standard for U.S. society at large and institutionalized the race-ethnicity distinction. It classified the U.S. population into four in 1977 and later five racial categories in its 1997 revision and created ‘Hispanic/Latino’ category as one and only ethnic category. By creating Hispanic/Latino category, U.S. government has made a pan-ethnic group so called as Hispanic/Latino. Even though Hispanic/Latino ethnicity was imposed from the above, Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. gradually internalized it, yet in rather different terms. We might well be witnessing the fact that a new racial group is in the process of being made.