Forging a Path: Past and Present Scope of Critical Race Theory and Latina/o Critical Race Theory in Communication Studies

This article summarizes the theoretical progression of critical Latina/o communication studies as a framework that can potentially speak to the material, verbal, visual, and discursive experiences of Latinos in a globalizing 21st century. Examining the trajectory of a critical inquiry of race in communication studies offers a meaningful entry point for which to trace the past, present, and future of Latino/as in the discipline. The essay outlines the scope and state of Latina/o communication research, noting how Latina/o theorizing paved a way into the National Communications Association particularly through the Latina/o Communication Studies Division (LCSD) and La Raza Caucus (LRC). We argue that the scholarly landscape needs to disrupt the conditions of Latina/o invisibility, and point to how critical Latina/o communication studies is in fact an integral part of the communication studies epistemology.