"Because I'm Light Skin . . . They Think I'm Italian": Mexican Students' Experiences of Racialization in Predominantly White Schools

《"Because I'm Light Skin . . . They Think I'm Italian": Mexican Students' Experiences of Racialization in Predominantly White Schools》

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关键字: race; identity; racialization; Latino students; AMERICAN STUDENTS; PERFORMANCE; ETHNICITY; IDENTITY; CULTURE; EXPECTATIONS; EXPLANATION; MINORITY; CHILDREN; SUCCESS

作者单位: [Fergus, Edward] NYU, New York, NY USA. Fergus, E (reprint author), NYU, Steinhardt Sch Culture Educ & Human Dev, 82 Washington Sq East,7th Floor, New York, NY 10003 USA. E-Mail: eaf7@nyu.edu

摘要: Discussions on Latino/a students' interpretation of the opportunity structure and schooling treat racial/ethnic identification among Latino/as as static, despite skin color variation. This article provides findings from interviews with six Mexican students who discussed teachers identifying them as White-looking or Hispanic/Mexican-looking. Both groups shared belief in the achievement ideology and understood the opportunity structure as fraught with barriers. However, the White-looking students perceived themselves as being able to permeate such barriers meanwhile the Hispanic/Mexican-looking students believed such barriers affect their ability to make it regardless of their aspirations. This study raises questions regarding theories on academic variability of Latino/a students.