Who Am I?: A Study of the Ethnic Self-Identification Process of Second-Generation Latinxs in the US

My research seeks to identify the most influential contributors to the ethnic selfidentification process of second-generation young adult Latinxs in the US who grew up in a community where Latinxs make up less than 15 percent of the population. Knowing how these individuals identify ethnically provides insight into how they perceive themselves within American society. To understand how these individuals developed their ethnic self-identification, I performed a mixed method analysis using a survey and interviews to collect data. The survey was posted on Facebook and asked respondents about their experiences growing up as Latinxs in their community. I then conducted 14 interviews with survey respondents to gain a more personal understanding of their ethnic self-identification process. The responses of these secondgeneration Latinxs indicate that there are three key factors that influence their ethnic selfidentification: race, belonging to a Latinx community, and exposure to more Latinxs in their adulthood than in their adolescence. The question of race is complicated amongst Latinxs. As an ethnic group, Latinxs are incredibly diverse racially. In this thesis, I interpret one’s racial identity as an identity that categorizes individuals based on their phenotypic differences (i.e., skin color and physiological features) that distinguish them from other. As no racial term encompasses all Latinxs, I determine individual’s races by asking them on the survey what race they identify with. Among the three factors that shape the ethnic self-identification process of secondgeneration Latinxs, race is the most influential. Race determines whether individuals are able to blend in with the majority white American society or if they are forced to confront their ethnic identification at a young age because of their experiences with racism. After race, forming part of a Latinx community was found to strengthen the ethnic labels of these individuals, while lacking a community undermines Latinx identity. Lastly, when exposed to more Latinxs, secondgeneration Latinxs of all races experience a strengthening of ethnic identity.