engleski

Who is my identity keeper? Negotiating complex identities of youth in ethnically mixed settings

Drawing from Social Identity Theory perspective we acknowledge ethnic identity as an important mechanism for preserving and enhancing one’s self-worth in majority and minority youth in multiethnic context. However, what are the major influences in building up and maintaining ethnic identity in complex multicultural settings and how youth navigate these multiple influences is less known. Therefore we have started a long-term mixed-method research program aimed to help answering how majority and minority youth develop, maintain and negotiate their (complex) identities in ethnically mixed settings. A unique context of the study in Croatia where minority youth (Czechs, Hungarians, Italians and Serbs) practice minority education in their mother tongue apart from majority Croats allows us to examine complex challenges of lived experiences and meaning-making processes of ethnic identity formation and maintenance of both majority and minority youth in their every-day settings. We present results from a series of focus groups, with majority (11 focus groups, N=66) and minority youth (15 focus groups, N=94) of age 11- 18 years. In-depth conversations explored how the youth understood and defined their ethnic identity and in-group belonging and how they perceive major influences of family and school in building and maintaining their ethnicity. Thematic analysis of conversation transcripts revealed complexities and multiplicity of identities, especially among minority youth. While family influences were uniformly acknowledged, the role of school was more complex and more depended on majority-minority relations context. We discuss implications of family and school socialization in shaping identity issues and intergroup relations in ethnically mixed settings.

ethnic identity, majority and minority youth, family and school influences, ethnic identity building and maintenance

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