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Mexican Racial Identity Essay

373 Words2 Pages

When examining racial identity in America, it can be said that it has become institutionalized. It shows up in our everyday life, appearing in both the sociopolitical and economic spheres of life. America has demonstrated an obsession with categorizing people on the basis of their race, and has imposed these ideas on immigrants who come to live in this country. Many immigrants, especially from Latin America, have different notions of race, and may not share the same ideas as Americans. Their opinions may vary because of many factors, such as familial or societal influence. I am interested in investigating how racial identities differ amongst Latinos, because they are shaped and influenced by both American and individual notions of race. Racial identity can be manipulated and reinforced once it fosters within a specific group, and can be passed down to future generations. It is …show more content…

Many of the authors discuss the issue of racial identity amongst Latinos, and its connection to critical race theory. Critical race theory is defined as the study of race relations within a society and how it is a part of the foundation in “historical and contemporary social structures and experiences”. A person’s environment or society can influence how a person may perceive their racial identity and how it is presented to others. In a trend study conducted by Taylor et. al (2012), a few major points were touched upon. The study aimed to examine how Latinos identify themselves, both racially and nationally. It also looked at Latino’s views on the United States, and their country of origin. It used information from a survey that was answered by 1,220 Hispanic adults between November 9th to December 7th, 2011. First, the researchers found that HIspanics prefer to identify themselves using their country of origin rather than pan-ethnic terms. 3.

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