Chicano/O Identity in a Changing U.S. Society

by Hurtado, Aida; Gurin, Patricia

• ISBN13: 9780816522057
• ISBN10: 0816522057
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

Summary

What does it mean to be Chicana/o?That question might not be answered the same as it was a generation ago. As the United States witnesses a major shift in its population--from a white majority to a country where no single group predominates--the new mix not only affects relations between ethnic groups but also influences how individuals view themselves. This book addresses the development of individual and social identity within the context of these new demographic and cultural shifts. It identifies the contemporary forces that shape group identity in order to show how Chicana/os' sense of personal identity and social identity develops and how these identities are affected by changes in social relations. The authors, both nationally recognized experts in social psychology, are concerned with the subjective definitions individuals have about the social groups with which they identify, as well as with linguistic, cultural, and social contexts. Their analysis reveals what the majority of Chicanas/os experience, using examples from music, movies, and the arts to illustrate complex concepts. In considering ¿Quién Soy? ("Who Am I?"), they discuss how individuals develop a positive sense of who they are as Chicanas/os, with an emphasis on the influence of family, schools, and community. Regarding ¿Quiénes Somos? ("Who Are We?"), they explore Chicanas/os' different group memberships that define who they are as a people, particularly reviewing the colonization history of the American Southwest to show how Chicanas/os' group identity is influenced by this history. A chapter on "Language, Culture, and Community" looks at how Chicanas/os define their social identities inside and outside their communities, whether in the classroom, neighborhood, or region. In a final chapter, the authors speculate how Chicana/o identity will change as Chicanas/os become a significant proportion of the U.S. population and as such factors as immigration, intermarriage, and improvements in social standing influence the process of identification. At the end of each chapter is an engaging exercise that reinforces its main argument and shows how psychological approaches are applicable to real life.Chicana/o Identity in a Changing U.S. Societyis an unprecedented introduction to psychological issues that students can relate to and understand. It complements other titles in the Mexican American Experience series to provide a balanced view of issues that affect Mexican Americans today.

Author Biography

Aida Hurtado is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz Patricia Gurin is Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor, Emerita, of Psychology and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix
Table	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xiii
A Word about Our Perspective	xviii
¿Quien Soy?: The Development of Self	3	(24)
The Development of a Positive Sense of Self: Ethnicity, Race, Class, and Gender	6	(16)
Conclusions: Multiple Social Adaptations to Cultural Transformations	22	(2)
Summary	24	(3)
Discussion Exercises	25	(2)
¿Quienes Somos?: The Importance of Social Identity	27	(41)
Personal Identity and Social Identity	30	(6)
The Creation of Social Identities	36	(14)
Identification and Consciousness in Ethnic Identity Formation	50	(1)
An Example of Identification and Consciousness	51	(13)
Summary	64	(4)
Discussion Exercises	66	(2)
Language, Culture, and Community: Group Life in Creating and Maintaining Identities	68	(41)
Meritocracy	69	(1)
Universal Rule	69	(4)
Degrouping	73	(8)
Regrouping through Empowerment	81	(4)
Reclamaciones: Toward a Whole Self	85	(20)
Regrouping the Degrouped Group	105	(2)
Summary	107	(2)
Discussion Exercises	108	(1)
Notes	108	(1)
Conclusions: The Future of Identity Formations	109	(20)
Multiple Social Adaptations to Cultural Transformations	112	(2)
New Developments in the Study of Social Identities: Transnationalism and Transculturalism	114	(12)
Summary	126	(3)
Discussion Exercises	127	(1)
Note	128	(1)
Glossary	129	(6)
Bibliography	135	(6)
Source Credits	141	(4)
Index	145