Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity

2012 Words9 Pages
Veronica Calzada April 27, 2012 Criminal Justice 432 Dr. Carlos Posadas Bejarano, C. (2005). Que onda?: Urban youth culture and border identity. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. The book “Que Onda “ by Cynthia Bejarano is a journey into the lives of the youth living on the border and how it has stimulated their cultures, society, and identities. I believe the author intended on allowing the reader to see that Latino youth are different not only in societies eyes but among themselves. Being Latino means being Mexican, Chicano, or a combination of both. Border theory categorizes “Mexican” as coming from the other side of the border (Mexico) and Chicano as being born on this side (U.S.) of the border. Latino youth living on the border fight to find their identity and niche in their new lands. It is difficult for some to stay true to their ethnicity because of the reaction they get from their peers, teachers, family, and society. These struggles not only exist on the borderlands but they are more profound on the borders than in other parts of the United States. According to the author, “Their identities are defined according to the physical boundaries of the international border, where people’s ethnic status is politically, socially, culturally, and legally magnified.”(Bejarano, 2005). I believe that most Latino youth only want to be accepted by the society they live in. The fact is that most live on the border and studies show that they are categorized by this. The methodology used by this author to conduct research for her book was through ethnography, in which she conducted fieldwork immersing herself in the lives of her targeted group of young Latinos

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