"Becoming": A Dialogical Self-Perspective of African American and Latinx Identity

• In Event: Multiracial Identification and Identities

Abstract

From the lens of the dialogical self theory (DST), the formation of identity is ascribed and prescribed, a continual process of orchestrating I-positions within the self. It is articulated through discursive transactions, images, and self-narratives emphasizing the multiplicity of silent, hidden, marginalized, empowered, or blind self-positions. A comprehensive articulation of the dialogical self of African American and Latinx students highlighting intrasubjective differences and nuanced implications for intersectional identity are included in this research study. The results indicate that the intersectional identity of students of color is a process of orchestrating various I-positions within their individual Self, voices that are both privileged and subjugated, thereby contributing to a situated identity that is fluid, renegotiated, and contextualized in urban school settings.

Authors

• Lavina Sequeira, Felician University

• Jamaal Matthews, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor