Figures of the Future

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This work provides an in-depth examination of how U.S. Latino advocacy groups leverage ethnoracial demographic projections to effect political change today. Amidst widespread claims of a significant demographic shift in the U.S., sociologist Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz argues that this transformation is less about the changing complexion of the population and more about the historical and ongoing struggles that shape perceptions of these trends. The book offers a timely exploration of the population politics of national Latino civil rights organizations, drawing on eight years of ethnographic and qualitative research conducted during both the Obama and Trump administrations. It investigates how prominent groups, including UnidosUS, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Voto Latino, utilize demographic data to seek political recognition and influence. Through census promotions, voter mobilization efforts, and policy advocacy, these organizations infuse demographic knowledge with meaning, using it as a source of inspiration, identity, and a tool for contestation. Rodríguez-Muñiz also addresses the challenges these groups face in translating demographic growth into political power and the impact of concerns about white backlash on their projections of the future. This analysis sheds light on the politics of ethnoracial demographic changes and their increasing significance in U.S. public discourse.