Lo etnojuvenil. Un análisis sobre el cambio sociocultural entre tsotsiles, tseltales y choles

Abstract

I study how indigenous youth reconfigure themselves in relation to a new generational understanding of their ethnicity, which is distant from traditional norms represented by “the custom” as practiced in the community. My reflections are based on testimonies which show the ethnic conditions of a new generation of youths, with a different worldview from that of their grandparents and parents, having other values, emotions and life expectations. I used an ethnographic method in which I conducted interviews and informal conversations, made participant observation, and did bibliographic research during seven years. My research brought to light many parallels in youth experience, leading to my coining of the term “Ethnoyouth” to describe commonalities among Tsotsil, Tseltal and Chol groups with whom I worked.