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The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action

The present article intends to examine how ethnic minority group members account for their ethnic identity as part of a series of interviews with young Mapuches on what it means to be Mapuche in contemporary Chilean society. The focus is on the actual accomplishment and display of ethnic self-defini...

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Main Authors: Maria-Eugenia Merino, Cristian Tileaga
Format: Default Article
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2134/9208
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author Maria-Eugenia Merino
Cristian Tileaga
author_facet Maria-Eugenia Merino
Cristian Tileaga
author_sort Maria-Eugenia Merino (7188323)
collection Figshare
description The present article intends to examine how ethnic minority group members account for their ethnic identity as part of a series of interviews with young Mapuches on what it means to be Mapuche in contemporary Chilean society. The focus is on the actual accomplishment and display of ethnic self-definition and group identification. We draw on insights from discursive psychology to explore some features of common-sense practical reasoning that ethnic minority group members use to negotiate, self-ascribe or resist a particular sense of identity, and to produce observable and reportable identities. We have a particular interest in illustrating how ethnic self-definition can be seen as the contingent outcome of a practical and interpretive issue for members of society, with a special focus on how ethnic minority identity is constructed through the flexible use of group-defining attributes and characteristics, categories and common-sense categorial knowledge. We suggest that understanding the complex significance and meaning of ethnic self-definition for minority group members is dependent on engaging closely with its occasioned context of production and treating social identities as a feature of how people describe themselves. It is argued that this view of ethnic minority self-definition as a practical and interpretive issue and as a discursive product in action can provide a further contribution to literature of both discursive and intercultural studies of ethnic identification of minority groups, intercultural and interethnic relations.
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spelling rr-article-94752232011-01-01T00:00:00Z The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action Maria-Eugenia Merino (7188323) Cristian Tileaga (1253946) Other human society not elsewhere classified Other language, communication and culture not elsewhere classified Chile Discursive psychology Ethnic minority Ethnic self-definition Mapuche Social identities Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified The present article intends to examine how ethnic minority group members account for their ethnic identity as part of a series of interviews with young Mapuches on what it means to be Mapuche in contemporary Chilean society. The focus is on the actual accomplishment and display of ethnic self-definition and group identification. We draw on insights from discursive psychology to explore some features of common-sense practical reasoning that ethnic minority group members use to negotiate, self-ascribe or resist a particular sense of identity, and to produce observable and reportable identities. We have a particular interest in illustrating how ethnic self-definition can be seen as the contingent outcome of a practical and interpretive issue for members of society, with a special focus on how ethnic minority identity is constructed through the flexible use of group-defining attributes and characteristics, categories and common-sense categorial knowledge. We suggest that understanding the complex significance and meaning of ethnic self-definition for minority group members is dependent on engaging closely with its occasioned context of production and treating social identities as a feature of how people describe themselves. It is argued that this view of ethnic minority self-definition as a practical and interpretive issue and as a discursive product in action can provide a further contribution to literature of both discursive and intercultural studies of ethnic identification of minority groups, intercultural and interethnic relations. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/9208 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_construction_of_ethnic_minority_identity_a_discursive_psychological_approach_to_ethnic_self-definition_in_action/9475223 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
spellingShingle Other human society not elsewhere classified
Other language, communication and culture not elsewhere classified
Chile
Discursive psychology
Ethnic minority
Ethnic self-definition
Mapuche
Social identities
Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified
Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified
Maria-Eugenia Merino
Cristian Tileaga
The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
title The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
title_full The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
title_fullStr The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
title_full_unstemmed The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
title_short The construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
title_sort construction of ethnic minority identity: a discursive psychological approach to ethnic self-definition in action
topic Other human society not elsewhere classified
Other language, communication and culture not elsewhere classified
Chile
Discursive psychology
Ethnic minority
Ethnic self-definition
Mapuche
Social identities
Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified
Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified
url https://hdl.handle.net/2134/9208