Changes in Representations of Environmentalism in Latina/o English Language Media in the U.S. Southwest

Abstract

Latina /o people in the Southwest part of the United States have a long history of environmental practice, though it either is said not to exist, or exists in practices which may not seem to be environmental, such as land use or agricultural irrigation practices. Th is paper provides a timeline of Latina /o environmentalism in English language media from the 1880 s until the late 1960 s and then in contemporary new media to argue how Latina /o environmentalism has continued a few themes. The themes are: 1) an environmentalism where people can use land without destroying it; and 2) mythical representations employed to portray the environment and agriculture . These themes contradict modernist ideas of conservation, agriculture, industrialization, and urbanization.