Latina/o Studies as a field is constituted out of the transdisciplinary study of Latina/o cultural production and experience in terms of a whole variety of factors. Latinas/os are defined as people of Latin American and/or Iberian heritage living and working in the United States or U.S.-based but also moving between the U.S. Latinas/os are ethno-racially diverse, of African, indigenous, Asian, and European descent; linguistically diverse, speaking varieties of English, Spanish, Portuguese, Spanglish, African, Asian, and indigenous languages; and culturally diverse, coming from more than 35 countries and 5 continents. Unlike Latin American Studies where the primary focus is on the cultures and experiences of various parts of Latin America (an umbrella term covering Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America), Latina/o Studies takes as its primary concern the presence of Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the myriad combinations of Hispanic-Native-African-Asian-and-European non-Hispanic cultures within the borders of the United States.
