ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical perspectives and sociological tool kits that Latina/o scholars have employed in the study of Latina/os. It also provides the historical context in which whiteness became an asset for US citizenship along with the racialization of Latina/os. The sociology of Latina/os can expand the human rights paradigm given Latina/os' status as the largest US minority group, their diversity, and their transnational lives, which create a gray area between the human and citizenship rights paradigms. The sociology of Latina/os has highlighted Latina/o heterogeneity, which has important implications for the human rights paradigm. The difficult theoretical work of how to grapple with the human rights of Latina/o immigrants many of whom are outside the umbrella of citizenship rights. With the rise of human rights abuse, research addressing human rights among Latina/os has shifted toward the United States. The literature reveals that the incorporation of human rights concerns into the study of Latina/os.
