Latin-American Studies

Dozens of young Latinos interact on the Mexican border forming the basis for which the identity formation among Mexican-origin border youths is studied. Such study was done in a concise way by Bejarano, which is revealed in his book. The book captures the labyrinths these youths navigate to finally shape their identities. Along this border, Latina and Latino youths find life already challenging and the borderland is indeed a place that presents continual affirmations and contradictions about identity. The association between three components of ethnic identity embedded in affirmation, exploration and resolution as well as factors related to family neighborhood and individual characteristics are the fundamental questions explored by Cynthia Bejarano. Based on this book, this paper seeks to examine the politics of identity along the Mexican border, the factors that influence identity development for Latina youths  along the border region and how the identity constructions influence the lives of Latino youths in American society.

Primarily, the identity building constructions of urban Latinas and Latinos youths living in the borderland along the border of the US-Mexico are dominantly explored. Bejarano better define the factors that lead youths to identify themselves with the various ethnicities encompassed within Latinas, Latinos, Mexicans and Americans. Accordingly, these varying identities ultimately results in the social stratification of the adolescents into a hierarchy created through discrimination and internal colonialism (Bejarano, 2007).

This book reveals identity politics and how it influences young people as forms of communication and the cultural space that they occupy in the environment of schooling. According, by showing that identities are created and subsequently influenced, the politics of identities in this milieu encompass the complexities of geopolitics and socio-cultural influences. The fundamental question to be answered is that politics of identity borders the unexplored divisions among the youths whose identities are located along a wide continuum of Mexicans.

In addition, the primary constitution of identity resides in the topics such as the creation of distinct styles that reinforces the differences between Latinos and Mexicans. Bejarano (2007) points out that the use of language further distinguishes these identities and determines how youths in the cosmopolitan region of the border view themselves and subsequently shape their different identities.  It is plausible to argue that, the element of social stratification perpetuated by internal colonialism and other processes, form what is fairly called politics of identity along the Mexican border.

These and several other issues along the border are shown to aggravate how the Latinos in the border ethnically identify themselves as Mexicans or Chicanos. Essentially, this approach helps them to explain their entire spectrum of identity. In contrast, identity is largely portrayed as a reflection of educational as well as immigration experiences where the complicated relations of adolescent youths along the border shape their identities as a result of the evident and available identity making process. The ultimate glimpse into the present politics of identity provides adequate information about the diversity among the youths as well as their constant efforts to define, create and shape their identities as a result of the available social cultural structures (Bejarano, 2007).

Apart from the politics of identity, there are a host of factors that influence the development of identity for Latino youths along the border. To begin with, the role of the social policy is the fundamental factor that influence the development of identity. These youths at the borderland comprise of the second generation migrants and thus, their efforts towards identity formation are predetermined by their social connectedness and the entire role that social policy plays in a society. According to Bejarano (2007), behind identity development, there are factors that are positively associated with adolescent ethnic identity of the Latino. As a result, the family ethnic socialization is thus directly associated with resolution and exploration as variables suggested to determine the image a Latino youth adopts within the forces of association between family ethnic socialization, ethnic affirmation based on neighborhood characteristics and parental behaviors.

Given that Mexico shares its border with America, the unique link between this border relationship facilitates the development of unique identities. The economic development, the cultural infrastructure of the region and the political force contributes to the development of certain mindsets among the youths living along the border, thus affecting their identity development. Furthermore, the eminent disparities in terms of access to and utilizations of the social amenities are a force factor behind the development of identities along the border. In certain instances, these disparities are intra cultural, intercultural, from the same racial background and from the same family (Bejarano, 2007).

Lack of language skills, is another pointer to identity development. It therefore follows that poor understanding of values and inadequate education forms the principal impediment to the concept of well-being. This focuses on the cultural wellbeing of the youth that leans in particular to the comparative insights from Latino, thus the global and educational perspective on social experiences influences how they develop their identities.

The constructions of identity through socialization affects affect the lives of the Latino youths in American society. Accordingly, the male-ism in the Latino- American boys, begin with  the cultural expectation that young boys will grow into being men and although there is also some explicit expectations that girls will be respected, they are obliged to be more submissive and obedient. With regard to this, the identities constructed by individual youths affect the beginning of conceptions of man and woman. Bejarano (2007) points out succinctly that the concept that these youths will of course have other images about themselves and life, there concepts characterizing male behavior as well as personality, has the potential of influencing the Latino boys to be socialized in corrective matters that are harsher than girls thus their own sense of self worthiness is brought to their attention.

The sharp dichotomization of gender roles in some segments of Mexican community are apparently an additive to the misunderstanding that Latino in the American society may entirely be affected. Typically, boys may learn to settle matters by fighting with others in the society and this conceptualization is geared towards fighting to win. On the other hand, this interactional effect of identity construction solidifies hyper-masculinity and in some sense, a cultural image of male honor, respect and specific gender roles is clearly drawn. The constructions of identities lay foundations for the striking behavioral change among Latino youths in the American society. To some extent, initial acts of defiance occur silently but later become an open challenge and a shift in the Latino youth males identity begin to manifest. This characteristic shift may vary in conception and intensity considering their geographical location, with a more pronounced shifts occurring in locations that are farther away from the border.

To recap, the data drawn from Bejaranos book builds on theories of youth identity transitions. The entire book maps a process of negotiated identity among incarcerated young men. From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that patterns of identity transition are by patterns of self synthesis, self preservation and situational self transformation. The argument afore highlights the efforts attempted by the youths to retain a positive view of the self, amid very challenging environment .As such, the notion of cultural citizenship becomes an alternative way of accepting the Latino culture .As such, cultural citizenship recognizes the cultural richness these individuals bring to a nation. The question of identity is viewed within the spectrum that goes beyond the legality of citizenship and the obscures the derogatory stereotypes that have perpetuated separation and conflict.