The racial and ethnic socialisation continuum: racial oppression and resistance in Latinx families

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research on racial and ethnic socialisation of Latinxs has focused on ethnic socialisation while under-examining the racial discourses and ideologies that Latinxs use when discussing racial and ethnic identity and stratification in their families. This study draws on 65 interviews with predominantly U.S.-born Latinxs. Using the theoretical framework of racial formation, I develop the racial and ethnic socialisation (RES) continuum to conceptualise the content of racial discourses present in Latinx families that reflect a range of racial ideologies. There are five discursive styles that fall into three general types of racial ideologies: (1) maintenance of hierarchies, (2) lack of direct discussions about race and ethnicity, and (3) anti-racist and feminist socialisation, but with flaws. The RES continuum contributes to research on racialisation by developing the processes of how structural racism unfolds in Latinx families through racial discourses and racial and ethnic socialisation.