Abstract

NARVAEZ JIMENEZ, María del Rosario. Ethnic self-identification of second-generation youth of Mexican origin in California. Estud. front [online]. 2020, vol.21, e062.  Epub Jan 15, 2021. ISSN 2395-9134.  https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2020062.

The aim of this article is to explore the ethnic self-identifications of second-generation young people of Mexican origin. To do so, three elements are taken from the American socio-political context that is related to their self-identifications: the identity model of the American, the social imaginary of the Mexican and the census categories of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity and race. The biographical approach, specifically Daniel Bertaux’s ethno-sociological perspective through life stories, has been the technique used. The research was carried out during 2016, in Southern California where 51 young people were interviewed. The accounts show that some of the institutional categories end up being part of the self-identifications of the informants, or the informants attribute to themselves many of the phenotypical and/or racial characteristics that are attributed to those categories. The limitation is that it is not possible to include other stories.

Keywords : self-identification; second generation; life stories; migrant.

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