Edwards, 2007
THINK ABOUT THIS
“Learning who you
are…creating who
you want to be.”
Lisa Froemming
Definitions
” The term Latino
is a new and
ambiguous
invention.”.”
Definitions
The term Latino has
meaning only in
reference to the US
experience.”
THINK ABOUT THIS
“In the wild world, you’re
either eating something or
being eaten…in the human
world, you either define
yourself or you’re defined.”
Unknown
“Ethnic identity refers to the aspect of the
self-concept that derives from the
recognition of membership in a socially
identified ethnic group. Among members
of ethnic minority groups, identity
formation entails coming to terms with the
meaning and consequences of
membership in a stigmatized group within
the larger society.”
Phinney, J.S. & Ong, A.D., (2007), Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 271-281
Identity
Latino population’s sense of
self and its collective history
are still far from having a
definitive impact on the
understanding of race,
ethnicity, and nationhood in
the US.
Identity
One student, in particular,
explained that all the
members of her family had
answered the racial question
differently, depending on
their own self-identities.
THINK ABOUT THIS
“Every hour you spend
with others you become
more like the people
around you.”
David Brooks
THINK ABOUT THIS
“The truth was that I didn’t
know which I was. I wasn’t
allowed to claim the thing I
felt and I didn’t feel the
thing I was supposed to
claim.”
Cristina Henriquez, The Book of Unknown Americans, NYT, 7-11-’14
Generational Differences
1.) First Generation Person –Different
view of America, different sense of
identity, & different sense of
entitlement.
2.) Native Born Person [2nd generation]
–Role of parents’ perceptions &
experiences, experience in school
system, minority person, race/ethnic
relations.
Racial Identity & Politics
--”…found
that allwhite congregations became less
charitable as the share of black
residents in the community rose.”
[Daniel Huggerman, Notre Dame Univ.]
--”…found
that for every
four immigrants entering public
high schools, one native [born]
student switched to a private
school.”
[Julian Betts, UC-Santa Cruz]
Source: Eduardo Porter, New York Times, January 6, 2016
THINK ABOUT THIS
“Membership in a group
often means embracing
shared beliefs, values, and
traditions that are passed on
through generations.”
Michael J.A. Wohl
CULTURAL STRENGTHS
1.) Ethnic Identity
2.) Biculturalism
3.) Familismo
Edwards, Lisa, Marquette University, 2007
Ethnic Identity
The meaning or importance of
ethnicity to an individual at a
given time.
Includes:
– Exploration & Search
– Affirmation, Commitment & Belonging
Edwards, Lisa, Marquette University, 2007
Multi-Group Ethnic Identity Measure
Exploration & Search
– Items 1, 2, 4, 8, 10
– Add up and divide the total by 5
Affirmation, Commitment & Belonging
– Items 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
– Add up and divide the total by 7
Edwards, Lisa, Marquette University 2007
Think About This
“The past is
never dead. It’s
not even past.”
William Faulkner, New York Times, November 16, ‘14
BICULTURALISM
The ability to navigate
multiple cultural contexts.
--Retaining one’s culture of origin while
still adapting to majority culture
--Can be challenging, but can also be a
strength.
Edwards, Lisa, Marquette University, 2007
FAMILILISMO
Familism can be defined as, “a
strong identification and
attachment of individuals with
their families and strong feelings
of loyalty, reciprocity and
solidarity among members of
their family.”
(Triandis et al., 1982)
THINK ABOUT THIS
“There is power in naming racism
for what it is, in shining a bright
light on it, brighter than any torch
or flashlight. …allows us to root it
out of the darkness and hushed
conversation where it likes to breed
like roaches”
Jesmyn Ward, New York Times, August, 11, ‘13
ACCULTURATION
• Includes and influences ethnic
identity
• Comprised of various domains:
–Language
–Social Affiliation
–Daily Living Habits (Food, Music)
–Identification and Pride
Edwards, Lisa, Marquette University, 2007
Models of Acculturation
Bicultural
Identity
Latino Culture
Anglo Culture
Bidimensional Model
Lisa Edwards, Marquette University, 2007
THINK ABOUT THIS
“…Cultural repression was
always the first, easiest, and
most effective means of
political control…it’s a
subtle move to destroy a
society.”
Robert Rauschenberg
Latn@ Languages/Identities
…facilitate the adoption of new
words and ways of speaking that
reflects new ethnic and racial
identities. Help understand how
linguistic codes help construct
identities, including how and where
the boundaries between linguistics
codes are drawn...advocated
anthropolitical linguistics.”
Latin@ Languages/Identities
…of the fact that critics denounce
hybrid identities as evidence of
cognitive confusion, as watereddown versions of one culture or
another, and even as unpatriotic
abandonment of a core culture.
Latin@ Languages/Identities
Anthropolitical linguistics
assumes that the ways
Latin@s in the US speak
English and Spanish cannot
be divorced from
socioeconomic and political
realities.
“Roughly 10 percent of the
children of college grads
grow up in single-parent
households. Nearly 70
percent of children born to
high school grads do.”
Source: David Brook’s column, New York Times, March 10, 2015
Review Questions
1.) The term “Latino” only has meaning where?
2.) TRUE of FALSE: The term “Latino” is an ambiguous term.
3.) What does being a member of a “stigmatized” group mean?
4.) Is the collective history of Latinos well understood?
5.) TRUE of FALSE: “Country-of-Origin” the most used by Latinos
to describe themselves.
6.) Are most 3rd generation Latinos describing themselves as
“American”?
7.) What is one difference between 1st and 2nd generation Latinos?
8.) Are there values specific to Latinos?...Traditions?...Beliefs?
9.) What is the difference between “acculturation” and
“assimilation”?
10.) What is a hybrid identity?