A Case Study of Colombian Youth Acculturation Expectations
Dr. Claudia Pineda presented at the XXVIII International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association: Rethinking Inequalities, held June 11-14, 2009, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The title of Dr. Pineda's presentation was "Conceptual Approach to the Study of Immigrant Youth Organizations: A Case Study of Colombian Youth Acculturation Expectations." She presented in the session entitled Being National or Becoming Latino: The Role of Policies and Programs in Shaping the Identities of Immigrant Youth.
Congress Theme: Rethinking Inequalities
Latin America has long been known as the world region with the highest levels of inequality, yet the degree and nature of inequalities vary across the domains of economics, politics and culture. The struggle to overcome inequalities has engendered social movements for centuries, and today as in various moments in the past has motivated interventions by policymakers. Many of these efforts have not been without impact, and their achievements may be underestimated by scholars and citizens alike. Yet by all accounts the distribution of assets and power remains fundamentally unequal even as the region undergoes profound changes in its social and economic structures, political institutions and cultural norms. Neither theory nor practice has grasped adequately the complexities of Latin America's inequalities or the factors that sustain or undermine them over time. Understanding of inequalities requires insights from disciplines across the social sciences and humanities, and demands attention to the circumstances and strategies of the rich as well as the poor, of the privileged as well as the subaltern.
Presentation Abstract
This paper explores how John Berry’s acculturation framework can further our understanding of ethnic boundary-setting within immigrant youth organizations. Research shows that effective multicultural interventions tend to happen in diverse contexts where meaningful intergroup contact is established. However, immigrant youth organizations, which are often the result of grass-roots organizations, can be homogenous: comprised of mostly co-ethnics. From an ethnic identity development perspective, homogenous groups might help foster a positive connection with minority groups’ culture. Often these positive connections happen in safe environments where co-ethnic youth meet and discuss their experiences as members of an ethnic/racial minority. Yet, when non-co-ethnics express interest in joining these types of groups, a dilemma of how to incorporate them may arise and youth in these organizations can respond differently towards this dilemma. This presentation explores the strategies youth might employ to incorporate non-co-ethnics and, more specifically, the framework that can best describe these strategies. It claims that Berry’s acculturation framework can be a powerful analytical tool to understand the strategies that co-ethnics in immigrant youth organizations may employ to incorporate non-co-ethnics. Using this framework illuminates strategies that go beyond opening or closing the group to others. Instead, co-ethnics can approach non-co-ethnics by assimilating, integrating, separating, and marginalizing them. The benefits and limitations of using this framework are further discussed.
