Syncretic Ethnic Identities in Dilemmatic Fields: Constructing and Reconciling Ethnic Differences in Schooling

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Cultural Studies

Background:

• Ethnic identity is often viewed as static, but theoretical frameworks suggest it is fluid.
• Dialogical self theory posits identity is shaped by internal dialogues with others.
• Dilemmatic field theory addresses navigating conflicting social and cultural demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate dilemmatic field and dialogical self theories to explain ethnic identity.
• To explore how shifts in I-positions reflect ethnic identity construction.
• To understand the role of cultural resources and encounters in identity development.

Main Methods:

• Thematic analysis of a participant-produced visually-mediated narrative.
• Examination of I-positions across multiple contextual and institutional levels.
• Focus on experiences within a schooling trajectory.

Main Results:

• Four distinct I-positions were identified, mediated by schooling experiences.
• Ethnic identity shifts are foregrounded through these I-position movements.
• Cultural resources enacted through difference contribute to reconciling outlier identities.

Conclusions:

• Ethnic identity is a temporal, cultural construct, adaptable and transformed through I-position shifts.
• The integration of theories clarifies identity as a creative, tensioned, and reproduced process.
• A syncretic I-position emerges in diverse institutional settings, reconciling outlier identities.