Arlene Davila is a Professor of Anthropology and of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. She is a cultural anthropologist interested in urban and ethnic studies, the political economy of culture and media, and consumption studies. Her work focuses on Puerto Ricans in the eastern United States, and Latinos nationwide.

As salsa takes over both the dance floor and the condiment shelf, the influence of Latin culture is gaining momentum in American society as a whole. Yet the increasing visibility of Latinos in mainstream culture has not been accompanied by a similar level of economic parity or political enfranchisement. In this important, original, and entertaining book, Arlene Davila provides a critical examination of the Hispanic marketing industry and of its role in the making and marketing of U.S. Latinos.
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Arlene Davila brilliantly considers the cultural politics of urban space in this lively exploration of Puerto Rican and Latino experience in New York, the global center of culture and consumption. Barrio Dreams makes a compelling case that–despite neoliberalism’s race-and ethnicity-free tenets–dreams of economic empowerment are never devoid of distinct racial and ethnic considerations. This is one of the most nuanced and original examinations of the complex social and economic forces shaping our cities today.
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Author Arlene Davila focuses on the Institute for Puerto Rican Culture, the government institution charged with defining authenticated views of national identity since the 1950s. Davila pays particular attention to the increasing prominence of corporate sponsorship in determining what is distinguished as authentic “Puerto Rican culture.” This in-depth examination also makes clear that despite contemporary concerns with “authenticity,” commercialism is an inescapable aspect of all cultural expressions on the island.
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