Hybrid Identities and Latinos in the United States

Prof. Moje's article regarding youth, literacy and identities in relation to the different spaces they must navigate made me question the ways in which the social identities of Latino youth in the United States are constructed. It also made me question the different implications for these identities.

Prof. Moje writes about hybrid identities in the youth she studied stating that while navigating different spaces the youth with whom she worked they were constantly adjusting yet bringing markers of their ethnic identity into mainstream spaces and markers of mainstream spaces and identities into their ethnically constructed spaces. She also states that they youth were constantly subject to and were constantly engaging in ethnic labeling. These findings make me realize that the formation of Latino identities in the United States, or any other identity for that matter, must be a complex combination of the messages and interactions that are received and that take place in different social settings. How does what you take away from each space you must navigate effect the person you become? What implications does this have for Latinos in particular?

The article also highlighted the fact that the youth Prof. Moje worked with often sought out spaces in which the youth could construct and maintain certain ethnic/personal identities. Her discussion of Virnot Street, for example, illustrates this. This causes me to wonder about the importance of the existence of, or the importance of creating opportunities for the development of, spaces for the exploration of/expression of ethnic identities in places such as schools. How would this effect the sentiments of different groups, such as Latinos, regarding such institutions and their feelings of efficacy within those institutions?