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Stereotypes Of Latin Americans

A Report on Stereotypes of Latin Americans among
Graduate Students of International Management

Carmen Vega Carney and Matilde Franciulli

This study presents the results of a study conducted among graduate students in international management in a US business school. The study aimed at identifying the students’ prevalent stereotypes of Latin Americans as well as to ascertain whether these differ from conventional stereotypes present in the general population. The conventional stereotypes were identified from those reported in the professional literature and from those present in popular media and advertising (Oboler 1995).
Latin Americans are not identified in this study as Hispanics or Latinos because the targets of this study are business executives who will be dealing primarily with Latin Americans at an international level. Categories such as Latino or Hispanic are generally used to define a particular ethnic group mainly within the United States (Oboler 1995). In spite of the US-based genesis of the terms, among the general population there is a tendency to perceive all Latin American based populations, and the Latino-Hispanic population in the United States, as one homogeneous group. Hence, the same stereotypes--negative and positive--are applied to for both groups. The literature about stereotypes asserts: (1) that a Latin American is automatically identified as a Hispanic or Latino once the person takes up residence in the United States; (2) that Hispanics are perceived as being one national group, and (3) that stereotypes about Latin Americans and Hispanics in this country seem to be mostly negative (Nuiry, 1996; Oboler, 1995; Sánchez;1989; Sharbach, 1993; Westerman, 1989; Windhausen, 1991).
With the emergence of developing economies in Latin America, the globalization and liberalization of markets, the integration of the economies among the Latin American countries--and the integration of their markets, the frequency of direct contact...