Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Interview with Dr. Cecilia Márquez

Book Discussed: Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation (UNC Press, 2023)
Host: Anna Lindner
Guest: Dr. Cecilia Márquez, Hunt Family Assistant Professor of History, Duke University
Date: February 22, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features a deep dive into Dr. Cecilia Márquez's groundbreaking book, Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation. The conversation centers on how Latinx identity, racial formation, and regional dynamics intersect and evolve, charting the unique path of Latinos in the American Southeast from 1940 to 2010. Dr. Márquez unpacks the concepts of “provisional whiteness,” shifting immigration patterns, the construction of Latinx identity in relation to blackness and whiteness, and the influence of labor, Jim Crow, and the civil rights movement on these dynamics.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Latinos, Whiteness, and the South

Timestamp: 02:19–04:03

• Dr. Márquez investigates how Latinos in the Southeast accessed the privileges of whiteness, especially prior to the 1980s.
  • “They are able to, as I write, come as they are. They're able to access many of the benefits of whiteness…what I call provisional whiteness.” (Dr. Márquez, 03:12)
• This access is distinct from passing as white or making a purely strategic claim to whiteness.
• Provisional whiteness is limited: Latinos still faced restrictions, being barred from certain organizations due to language or religion.
• This model contrasts sharply with regions where Latinos had to fight for legal recognition as white.

2. Changing Racial Formation Over Time

Timestamp: 04:49–09:55

• The Southeast saw dramatic changes in how non-black Latinos were racialized from 1940–2010.
• Dr. Márquez distinguishes between black and non-black Latino experiences:
  • Non-black Latinos often accessed whiteness in earlier years, participating in “white” institutions.
  • Black Latinos experienced exclusion similar to African Americans.
• She introduces the concept of the “new destination South”—states like Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi—where Latino settlement grew explosively in the late 1990s and 2000s.
• Racial perceptions shifted over time:
  • Pre-1980s: Provisional whiteness.
  • 1990s: Positive associations with “hard working Hispanicness”; relatively warm, labor-driven welcome.
  • 2000s: Post-9/11 nativism and the 2008 recession led to a prevalence of the “illegal alien” stereotype and harsh legal crackdowns.
• “From the perspective of the 1940s, it looked like…the Irish or the Italians that they were going to become white. And it’s really about how that doesn’t happen for them.” (Dr. Márquez, 09:30)

3. Intersection of Race and Class

Timestamp: 10:12–14:15

• Class composition of Latino immigrants shifted from elite (post-WWII, diplomatic class) to predominantly working class (late 20th century, e.g., poultry/carpet industries).
• Class shaped reception but blackness was more determinative of inclusion or exclusion.
• Powerful comparison between Elizabeth (Betita) Martinez and Fatima Cortez:
  • Martinez (non-black): Accessed white spaces but still faced exclusion.
  • Cortez (Afro-Puerto Rican): Barred from opportunities available to other Latina peers due to blackness.
• “Blackness in particular is the kind of structuring logic of exclusion in the South.” (Dr. Márquez, 13:20)

4. Jim Crow and the Case of Carla Galarza

Timestamp: 14:15–19:12

• The story of Carla Galarza (stepdaughter of Ernesto Galarza) illustrates how administrators policed race in educational institutions.
• Carla, seen as Latina, was expelled from a black vocational school for not being “Negro”; her case prompted debate about who belonged in segregated institutions.
• “Her non blackness, more than any kind of claim to whiteness, Latino ness, is really the reason that she cannot be a part of this school…” (Dr. Márquez, 18:36)
• The overarching point: Latino identity is always formed in relation to blackness in the context of Jim Crow.

5. “South of the Border” Roadside Rest Stop and Imagined Latinness

Timestamp: 19:25–25:11

• South of the Border, a roadside attraction at the NC/SC border, became a site for white Southerners to play with racial stereotypes.
• The mascot “Pedro” fused Southern and Mexican caricatures and served as a vehicle for white Southerners to reinforce whiteness and white supremacy during the civil rights era.
• The opening of “Confederate Land” within the rest stop in 1961 directly linked fantasies of Latinness to Lost Cause ideology.
• “At the exact same moment that the sit-in movement is happening in North Carolina, Pedro gets to be this kind of Lost Cause defender for local white people…” (Dr. Márquez, 24:32)

6. Latino Activists in the Civil Rights Movement

Timestamp: 26:27–35:03

• Light-skinned Latinos like Maria Varela worked with SNCC; their ability to “pass” enabled them to navigate white spaces and aid black organizers covertly.
• Varela’s story: “She can tell that she’s playing, right? She can tell that she’s playing with this idea of race…as long as she’s not Black, she’s someone who they can assist.” (Dr. Márquez, 29:52)
• SNCC’s eventual decision to expel non-black members was a recognition of the privileges non-black Latinos held in the South.
  • “Looking at the history of the South...perhaps what it is is that SNCC is sort of astutely observing the way that race works in the South.” (Dr. Márquez, 33:00)

7. Dalton, Georgia—Hispanic Identity and Labor

Timestamp: 35:30–41:26

• Dalton became a major destination for Latino workers in the carpet industry in the 1990s, following trends in the poultry industry and post-IRCA migration.
• The idea of the “hard working Hispanic” was promoted both by industry seeking exploitable labor and by Latinos themselves to justify inclusion and access.
• However, this “fleeting category” failed to protect Latinos amid shifting anti-immigrant sentiment and legal crackdowns after economic downturns.

8. Contemporary Research and New Directions

Timestamp: 42:09–46:32

• Dr. Márquez’s new research explores Latino involvement in white supremacy and right-wing movements, inspired in part by the case of George Zimmerman and debates about Latinx complicity in anti-blackness.
• She discusses parallels between her historical findings and contemporary dynamics, citing work by Tanya Hernández on Latino anti-black bias.

Notable Quotes

• “Provisional whiteness...isn’t a full whiteness. They can’t do some things...But it is a really different story of Latinos and whiteness when we look at the Southeast in particular.” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 03:22
• “Blackness in particular is the kind of structuring logic of exclusion in the South.” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 13:20
• “Her non blackness, more than any kind of claim to whiteness, Latino ness, is really the reason that she cannot be a part of this school…” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 18:36
• “Pedro gets to be this kind of Lost Cause defender for local white people who want to go and play with ideas about race, but also be able to preserve their ideas about white supremacy.” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 24:32
• “As long as she’s not Black, she’s someone who they can assist.” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 29:52
• “SNCC...is sort of astutely observing the way that race works in the South...” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 33:00
• “The idea that the search for more and more precarious labor...is really normalizing the hyper exploitation of these populations.” — Dr. Cecilia Márquez, 38:30

Memorable Moments

• Carla Galarza’s exclusion from a black vocational school shows how “non-black” status, not whiteness, determined access and exclusion under Jim Crow.
• The creation of “Pedro” as a Southern/Mexican caricature at South of the Border reveals how white Southerners manipulated ideas of Latinness in defense of white supremacy.
• SNCC’s expulsion of non-black members illustrates the specificity of racial dynamics in the South, where even Latinos often had greater proximity to whiteness than blackness.
• Dalton, Georgia’s embrace of Latino laborers as economic saviors, only to see nativist backlash and the rise of the “illegal alien” trope as circumstances changed.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:19 – Provisional whiteness and Latino access to white institutions
• 04:49 – Evolution of Latino racialization in the Southeast (1940–2010)
• 10:21 – Class and its intersection with race among Latinos
• 14:15 – The case of Carla Galarza and Jim Crow exclusion
• 19:25 – “South of the Border” rest stop and racial performance
• 26:27 – Maria Varela, SNCC, and privileges of light-skinned Latinos
• 31:22 – SNCC’s expulsion of non-black activists
• 35:30 – Dalton, GA: labor, demographic shifts, and “hard working Hispanic” identity
• 42:09 – Dr. Márquez’s current research on Latinos in right-wing organizing

Tone and Style

• The conversation is rich and accessible, moving seamlessly from academic analysis to vivid storytelling.
• Dr. Márquez offers clear, compelling arguments, frequently grounding theory in lived examples and personal stories from her research.
• Anna Lindner engages with energy and respect, drawing out nuanced insights and connecting threads across history and contemporary politics.

Listeners gain a powerful, nuanced understanding of Latino identity in the South, how regional and national forces shape racial formation, and why these histories matter for ongoing debates about race, labor, and coalition in America.