"I Am Not Latino Enough": The Role of Latina/o Ethnic Identity in Participation at La Casa

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: Latinx Identity Politics in Contested Institutional Spaces

Abstract

This collaborative project with a Latino Cultural Center (La Casa) at a large Midwestern, public university examines the role that Latino/a ethnic identity plays in student participation at the center. Analyses of survey and interview data show that participation at La Casa increases as centrality of Latino/a ethnic identity increases. Furthermore, La Casa is a place, which both affirms a student’s Latino/a ethnic identity, but also challenges it. For some, La Casa is a place that “feels like home,” where students share the same ethnic and cultural background with others. For other students, La Casa is a place where they do not feel welcomed because “I am not Latino/a enough.”

Authors

• Sylvia Martinez, Indiana University

• Amy Janet Nunez, Indiana University - Bloomington