ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0002-8900-1522

Graduation Semester and Year

2022

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Sociology

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Beth Anne Shelton

Abstract

This study addresses the identity reconstruction process and ethnic marker development of 2nd generation Latina undergraduates attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). A qualitative study consisting of 12 individual interviews and a focus group consisting of two new respondents and two old ones (N=14) were conducted virtually to understand how identity was reconstructed, and which ethnic markers this new generation uses to identify other Latinx. To understand the identity reconstruction process and ethnic marker identification, borderlands theory with a focus on the mestiza consciousness was employed. Results show that not all Latinas reconstruct their identity once they start attending an HSI. On the contrary, while some reconstructed their identity because they experienced a predominantly white k-12 education and did not have a strong connection to their culture before attending the university, others enhanced their identity. Identity enhancement occurred for those Latinas who had a strong sense of Latinx identity before attending the university. Their experiences at the university confirmed what they already believed of themselves and exposed them to a new social environment where they became even more secure in their identities. As for the ethnic markers, results suggest that this new generation of Latinas is redefining ethnic boundaries and markers. They confirmed past research by using language as a prominent ethnic marker but added kinship ties and skin tone. Kinship ties appeared in the way they talked about their families and how their Latinidad stemmed from family connections. Skin tone, on the other hand, was discussed about in terms of white-passing and white-washing Latinx. Their thought process revealed that it was not so much about skin tone (though it still was), but it was more about behavior and how one viewed their own culture.

Keywords

Mestiza, Latina, HSI

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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