Ethnic identification and New York City’s intra-Latina/o hierarchy

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in New York City, I argue that the negotiation of ethnic identifications among Latina/os is informed by shared understandings of the relative status of Latina/o subgroups, in what is, essentially, a hierarchy of relative privilege and prestige. The statuses of distinct Latina/o groups, and the shared understandings that people have about these statuses, set incentives and disincentives that influence which ethnic identifications individuals choose. I present a framework for understanding the intersections of status and ethnic self-identification and how these factors serve to resist, maintain, or improve one’s standing in relation to intra-Latina/o hierarchies. Ethnic choices include distancing from putative in-groups or adopting identifications or ethnic markers of Latina/o out-groups. The ethnoracial status hierarchies that influence Latina/o ethnic choices point to the challenges and possibilities in forging a cohesive Latina/o collectivity.