Situating Multiethnic Identity: Contributions of Discourse Theory to the Study of Mixed Heritage Students

Posted in Articles, Identity Development/Psychology, Media Archive on 2009-11-06 18:00Z by Steven

Situating Multiethnic Identity: Contributions of Discourse Theory to the Study of Mixed Heritage Students

Journal of Language, Identity & Education
Volume 3, Issue 3 (July 2004)
pages 195-213
DOI: 10.1207/s15327701jlie0303_2

Kendra R. Wallace
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The article considers the contributions of Gee‘s Discourse theory to the study of multiethnic identity among mixed heritage students. By framing experience within social context, activity, and interaction, I argue that Discourse theory facilitates a conceptualization of ethnic identity as a situated phenomenon emerging at the intersection of the individual and the collective. Drawing on the life histories of a diverse group of mixed heritage students, the article details how Discourse theory provides a particularly powerful lens for exploring the social processes influencing identity development across contexts, such as those related to enculturation within multiple heritage communities.

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