I'm Not Mexican! Central American Second-Generation and Identity Formation in Los Angeles

• In Event: 566 - Section on Latino/a Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Identities

Abstract

This study examines the identities of second generation Central Americans in Los Angeles. I show the identification options preferred by young Central Americans, the fluidity of preferred labels, and the role of reference groups in influencing the construction and deployment of identities. A point of interest is to understand how young Central Americans negotiate and construct their identities in a region where the dominant Latino population is of Mexican origin. Twenty-seven in-depth interviews were conducted with 1.5 and second-generation Central Americans ranging from 22-32 years of age. I found Central Americans in Los Angeles have an identity repertoire that includes national-origin, panethnic, racial, and pan-minority identities, which may be invoked inclusively or exclusively. The simultaneous existence of ethnic and racial identities provides insight into the situational and fluid nature of identities.

Author

• Ariana Jeanette Valle, University of California-Los Angeles