Multiple Identities

photo: ivn.u

The Chicago writer Raul Dorantes gave a great guest lecture for my ACP class last week. He read from one of his many essays, and unfortunately I cannot recall the name of it. What he spoke about touched a lot on the complications of identity. His lecture reminded me so much of my own experiences, and the experiences the Dreamers' experiences. Coming from one country to another isn't just a physical movement, it is a mental and emotional one.

Dorantes spoke mainly about the Mexican immigrant experience, but he related it to any other immigrant of any country. He argued that what the immigrant wants the most is to one day return to his homeland, the land that saw his creation. However, the return to the homeland gets complicated when you consider the fact that for years and years "home" has been the U.S. So returning to the homeland after so long actually creates a lost feeling for the immigrant. 


This is where the identity part comes in that interested me so much.


He says that knowing where you belong, who you are, are things that the immigrant questions. These questions often get complicated and can go unanswered for many immigrants. They can't still be Mexican if they live in the U.S., yet even when in Mexico they feel they are not Mexican but American.


It's such a complicated thing to think about that I even question "What's the point?"


The point is that even though this identity is based on a nationality, it is nonetheless an identity that is very real. A fellow student in my class gave a great example that I think exemplifies what the purpose of these national and cultural identities is.



The student was born in Russian and is Jewish, and in his community, is one of few immigrants his age. He explained that depending on who he is around, his identity changes. When he is with a group of other Russians he is Russian. But this gets broken down when you consider what kinds of Russians he is around. 

When he is with a group of younger Russians that are not immigrants he is a foreigner, a "real" Russian. When he is in a group of older Russian immigrants, he is seen as a young assimilated American. And when he is among other Russians, his Jewish faith also sets him apart. He claims that all of these identities are a part of him because he plays a role in all of them, even if he doesn't want to. 

And I think that's what most Latino immigrants do. Within their cultural community, they are Mexican, they are Colombian, they and Venezuelan. But outside of those communities, they are American. They have to be in order to function in the society. 

So I guess his lecture really got me to think of identity as something more than just what a person is, but what a person can do, or what they are allowed to do.


Unfortunately, these identities can get many Latinos labeled as "others" and can hinder their advancement in any area of their lives. Any drop of non-American can have great consequences. Promotions can be withheld, intelligence can be challenged, deportations can occur. 


Is a multitude of identities such a bad thing?