IDENTITY AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION: GIRLS FROM A MINORITY ETHNO-CULTURAL GROUP IN CANADA
Abstract
ABSTRACT. This article looks at identity as an important factor in integration into society. Integration is not only a personal and individual process, it is also a dialectical one. It involves contradictions (conflicts) in individual self-construction (identity). It also implies construction and re-construction of social relationships related to an individual's experiences defined by their location in terms of gender, race, culture and class. This process of reconstruction of identity is what has been called "a process of 'becoming' and 'being'". Canadian girls of South Asian origin strive hard to live up to their parents' expectations and yet they do not possess culture in a form identical to their parents. They are creating a hybrid identity in a new context using part of the cultural capital from their parents and creating a "space" for themselves in Canadian society. RÉSUMÉ. Cet article perçoit l'identité comme facteur important d'intégration dans la société. L'intégration n'est pas seulement un processus personnel et individuel, mais un processus dialectique. Il comprend des contradictions (conflits) dans la construction du moi (identité). Il présuppose également la construction et la reconstruction de rapports sociaux ayant un rapport avec les expériences des sujets définis par la place qu'ils occupent sur le plan du sexe, de la race, de la culture et de la classe. Ce processus de reconstruction identitaire est ce que l'on appelle «le processus du 'devenir' et de l"être'». Les jeunes filles canadiennes originaires d'Asie du Sud s'évertuent à répondre aux attentes de leurs parents, même si elles ne possèdent pas une culture dont la forme est identique à celle de leurs parents. Elles créent donc une identité hybride dans un contexte nouveau en utilisant partiellement le capital culturel de leurs parents et en créant un «espace» pour elles-mêmes dans la société canadienne.Downloads
Published
2000-09-01
How to Cite
Ghosh, R. (2000). IDENTITY AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION: GIRLS FROM A MINORITY ETHNO-CULTURAL GROUP IN CANADA. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 35(003). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/8541
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