1 Identity

ExoHcUUii^ tke^ Euevyday Identity and Wallets

On August 24, 2003, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper reported the following story. Recently, Casimiro Naranjo III opened his mail to discover that someone had sent him the wallet he lost 46 years earlier when he was a 19-year-old Marine stationed in Okinawa, )apan. Construction workers who were renovating a building on the U.S. base discovered his wallet in a ventilation duct and used the identifica­tion cards inside to send it back to him. Everything inside the frayed but still

intact brown leather wallet holds special meaning to Naranjo. Among other items, the wallet contained black and white photos of his sister (then 12) and brother (then 17), a pawn shop receipt for his high school class ring (never seen again), a ration card, a military ID card, and a small religious medal that his mother had given him before he \efi for boot camp. This small token was particularly meaningful to him now, Naranjo explained, because his mother had recently passed away. The only

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f ON THE WES 1 For additional resources

I for this chapter, go to I bedfordstmartins.com/remix

Q u e s t i o n s a b o u t i d e n t i j a c t o f a n s w e r i n g t h e m v a l u e s , a n d l i f e g o a l s , p a r t l y a q u e s t i o n a b o u t a q u e s t i o n a b o u t h o w t l -h e l p m a k e u s w h o w e a r

I f i d e n t i t y p r o v i d e s u s w i " W h o a m I ? " i t m i g h t a p b u t t h i s i s o n l y p a r t o f t h i a l i t y . P e r s o n a l i t y d e s c r i t s u c h a s i n T i e ^ r e n t s h y n e

2 o m £ a c ! T ^ ] e n g a ^ m e n t identify with a p a r t i c u l a r i a n d w e c h o o s e h o w t o c h o i c e s l e a d o t h e r s t o H o w e v e r , t h e r e a r e s o m e | c h o o s e . F o r i n s t a n c e , w e i w e r e b o r n .

T h e r e a d i n g s i n t h i s c h a p t e r r a i n b e t w e e n p e r s o n a l o f w h i c h h e l p s h a p e o u r i j o n t h e c u l t u r a l a t t i t u d e s a r a b o u t i d e n t i t y . B u t b e f o r e ; s o m e p o p u l a r a s s u m p t i o r

Identity is what we're bo|

F o r m a n y p e o p l e , a n s w e r i r l i s t i n g d e t a i l s t h a t c a n b e f o j s e x , e t h n i c i t y , a n d f a m i l y o r i | f a m i l y h i s t o r i e s l o c a t e t h e

item in the wallet that Naranjo did not remember was a small photo of a young woman. He could not recall who she was or why he had her picture. "How convenient for him to have for­gotten," joked his wife.

What do the contents of a wallet reveal about a person's identity? Imagine how your life would be thrown into disorder if you lost your wallet. How would such a loss affect your ability to function normally—at least until you could replace the lost items? In many ways, our wallets and purses represent our identity to the world. For instance, like Naranjo, most of us carry several forms of identification in a wallet or purse: pool or gym memberships, driver's licenses, library cards, ATM cards, video store cards, club membership cards, school IDs, coffee club cards, discount cards, and credit cards. Even wallet-sized photos identify our families and friends.

This is the nature of identification, yet most people do not co'hnect their identi­fication to their sense of identity. After all, what do all of these pocket-sized pieces of plastic and paper really say about us? They identify us to others like

bank tellers, librarians, and sales clerks so that we can make transactions. They help to label us to others. However, for Naranjo, each item in his recovered wallet helps construct a portrait of his ig-year-old self Each item has a story to tell about his identity at that time.

What stories could someone piece together about you based solely on an examination of your wallet and its con­tents? For this initial assignment, write a one-page profile about yourself using only your wallet or purse and its con­tents to represent your life. Your profile should answer the following questions.

• Taken separately or together, how do the contents of your wallet construct an image of your identity?

• What assumptions might someone make about your personality, val­ues, or identity based on what you carry in your wallet?

Add a final paragraph that answers this

question:

• If all they had to go on is your wallet, what would people miss or be unable to know about you?

IDENTITY

Q u e s t i o n s a b o u t i d e n t i t y c a n b e d e e p l y p h i l o s o p h i c a l , a n d t h e a c t o f a n s w e r i n g t h e m c a n r e q u i r e u s t o t h i n k a b o u t o u r b e l i e f s , v a l u e s , a n d l i f e g o a l s . A s k i n g " W h a t m a k e s u s w h o w e a r e . ' " i s p a r t l y a q u e s t i o n a b o u t i n d i v i d u a l b e l i e f s a n d a c t i o n s a n d p a r t l y a q u e s t i o n a b o u t h o w t h e p e o p l e , p l a c e s , a n d t h i n g s i n o u r l i v e s h e l p m a k e u s w h o w e a r e .

I f i d e n t i t y p r o v i d e s u s w i t h t h e m e a n s o f a n s w e r i n g t h e q u e s t i o n " W h o a m I ? " i t m i g h t a p p e a r t o b e a q u e s t i o n a b o u t p e r s o n a l i t y , ' b u t t h i s i s o n l y p a r t o f t h e s t o r y . I d e n t i t y i s d i f f e r e n t f r o m p e r s o n ­a l i t y . P e r s o n a l i t y d e s c r i b e s s p e c i f i c q u a l i t i e s i n d i v i d u a l s h a v e , , s u c h ^ s l n F e r e n t s h y n e s s o r s o c i a b i n t ) r ^ u r i g e n t i ^ r e q u i r e s * ^ s o m e ^ c t i v F ^ n g a g e m ^ ^ F o r e x a r n p I e T w e d i o o s e t o identify witia a p a r t i c u l a r i d e n t i t y o r g r o u p ; w e c h o o s e o u r f r i e n d s a n d w e c h o o s e h o w t o d r e s s e v e r y m o r n i n g . T h e s e k i n d s o f c h o i c e s l e a d o t h e r s t o m a k e c o n c l u s i o n s a b o u t w h o w e a r e . H o w e v e r , t h e r e a r e s o m e t h i n g s a b o u t o u r s e l v e s t h a t w e c a n n o t c h o o s e . F o r i n s t a n c e , w e d o n o t c h o o s e o u r e t h n i c i t y o r w h e r e w e w e r e b o r n .

5 p . c a o

T h e r e a d i n g s i n t h i s c h a p t e r e x p l o r e h o w p e o p l e n e g o t i a t e t h i s t e r r a i n b e t w e e n p e r s o n a l c h o i c e a n d l a r g e r c u l t u r a l f o r c e s , b o t h o f w h i c h h e l p s h a p e o u r i d e n t i t i e s . T h e y c h a l l e n g e y o u t o r e f l e c t o n t h e c u l t u r a l a t t i t u d e s a n d a s s u m p t i o n s b u i l t i n t o h o w w e t h i n k a b o u t i d e n t i t y . B u t b e f o r e y o u r e a d t h e s e s e l e c t i o n s , f i r s t c o n s i d e r s o m e p o p u l a r a s s u m p t i o n s a b o u t i d e n t i t y .

Identity is what we're born with.

F o r m a n y p e o p l e , a n s w e r i n g q u e s t i o n s a b o u t i d e n t i t y b e g i n s b y l i s t i n g d e t a i l s t h a t c a n b e f o u n d o n o u r b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e s — n a m e , s e x , e t h n i c i t y , a n d f a m i l y o r i g i n s . P e o p l e w i s h i n g t o r e s e a r c h t h e i r f a m i l y h i s t o r i e s l o c a t e t h e b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e s o f k n o w n f a m i l y

5

m e m b e r s b e c a u s e t h e s e d o c u m e n t s p r o v i d e e s s e n t i a l i n f o r m a ­t i o n a b o u t t h e i d e n t i t i e s o f a n c e s t o r s . A s t h e e x p e r t s f r o m t h e P B S t e l e v i s i o n s e r i e s Ancestors e x p l a i n , b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e s r e c o r d a r a n g e o f v i t a l f a c t s a b o u t i d e n t i t y .

They almost always include:

n a m e o f c h i l d

s e x o f c h i l d

r a c e o f c h i l d

d a t e o f b i r t h

p l a c e o f b i r t h

n a m e s o f p a r e n t s

They may also include:

m a i d e n n a m e o f m o t h e r

a g e s o f p a r e n t s a t t i m e o f b i r t h

b i r t h p l a c e s o f p a r e n t s

o c c u p a t i o n s o f p a r e n t s

f a m i l y a d d r e s s

c h i l d ' s o r d e r i n f a m i l y

n a m e o f a t t e n d i n g p h y s i c i a n o r m i d w i f e

e x a c t t i m e o f b i r t h

p h y s i c a l d e s c r i p t i o n o f c h i l d

T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e s m i g h t s u g g e s t t h a t i d e n t i t y i s b a s i c a l l y f i x e d a n d s t a b l e f r o m t h e t i m e o f b i r t h . C o n s i d e r s e x a n d e t h n i c i t y , t w o l a b e l s a p p l i e d a t b i r t h t h a t a r e a t t h e h e a r t o f h o w m a n y p e o p l e t h i n k a b o u t i d e n t i t y . B o t h a r e g e n e r a l l y u n d e r s t o o d a s c l e a r - c u t c a t e g o r i e s f r o m w h i c h i d e n t i t y i s e s t a b l i s h e d . T h e y c a n a c t a s c o m p a s s p o i n t s t h a t g r o u n d u s a s w e g o t h r o u g h l i f e , g i v i n g u s a s e n s e o f s t a b i l i t y , o f k n o w i n g w h o w e a r e . B u t a r e t h e y s o c l e a r - c u t ? A n d r e w S u l l i v a n , i n h i s e s s a y " T h e ' H e ' H o r m o n e " ( p . 3 8 ) , e x a m i n e s h o w t e s t o s t e r o n e l e v e l s d e f i n e a n d e v e n c h a n g e i d e n t i t i e s o f m e n a n d w o m e n ; a n d F i r o o z e h D u m a s , i n h e r e s s a y " T h e ' F W o r d ' " ( p . 8 4 ) , e x p l o r e s t h e c o n n e c t i o n s b e ­t w e e n l a n g u a g e , e t h n i c a n d n a t i o n a l i d e n t i t i e s , a n d t h e f l u i d i t y o f p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y . P e r h a p s w h a t b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e s p r o v i d e , a l o n g w i t h f a m i l y h i s t o r i e s , a r e m a r k e r s o f i d e n t i t y .

H o w e v e r , t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t i d e n t i t y c o n s i s t s m e r e l y o f w h a t w e a r e " b o r n w i t h " c a n u n d e r e m p h a s i z e t h e i n f l u e n c e s o r i m p a c t o f l a r g e r s o c i a l f o r c e s t h a t a l s o a f f e c t i d e n t i t y . C o n s i d e r g e n d e r i d e n ­t i t y , f o r e x a m p l e . A l t h o u g h i t i s t r u e i n o n e s e n s e t h a t s e x i s e s t a b ­l i s h e d a t b i r t h , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t d e v e l o p m e n t a l p s y c h o l ­o g i s t s h a v e c o n c l u d e d t h a t a p e r s o n ' s u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f w h a t i t m e a n s t o b e m a l e o r f e m a l e d e v e l o p s t h r o u g h s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n o v e r t i m e . D u r i n g p r e s c h o o l y e a r s , c h i l d r e n b e g i n t o d i s c o v e r w h a t g e n d e r i d e n t i t y m e a n s . T h e y c a r e f u l l y o b s e r v e w h o a r e b o y s , w h o

CERTIFIED COPY OF BIRTH REGISTER

S t a t e o f M i n n e s o t a , C o u n t y o f B e n t o n

R e c o r d e d i n B o o k F P a g e 2 8 9 L i n e B i r t h No. P l a c e o f B t r t h ( C i t y o r T o w n s h i p ) S t . George T w p .

FULL NAME OF CHILD Single Twins

Triplets

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mis Mother

DATE O F BIRTH

J o s e p h James L a t t e r a l y e s j N o v . 1932 10:45P

NAME Fathers Date ol Birth Birthplace OCCUPATiON

James L a t t e r a l 34 y r s of age Minn. Farmer MOTHER

FULL MAIDEN NAME Mothers Dale o( Birlh Birthplace OCCUPATION

Grace B a r t h e l e m y 33 y r s o f age Minn. H o u s e w i f e ATTENDING PHYSICIAN. MIDWIFE, PARENT OR OTHER INFORMANT

NAME ADDRESS Dale ol Report

J . F . S c h a t z 11-4-32 R IGtSTRAR

NAME ADDRESS Dale ot Filing

L e s t e r B. L e w i s F o l e y , MN 11-25-32 STATE OF MINNESOTA

County o( B w f l o n

AlkM C Engafriwyef

in and (or saKJ County itvi State, do tieret^y certity thai th« forgoing

is a tut) and complela transcript ot t h « entrioa appearing on record in the Regis ler of Birttis now remaining in my said office relating to the Birth of said

J o s e p h JaTnes L a t t e r a l ^ ^ ^ , „ d the wnoie thereof

WITNESS my hand and tfte seal of said office hereto affixed at

E2!a Mint.

13th May 98

This b i r t h c e r t i f i c a t e identifies Joseph James L a t t e r e l l , whose last n a m e is misspelled, as the " l e g i t i m a t e " seventh child of James L a t t e r e l l ( " F a r m e r " ) and Crace Barthelemy ( " H o u s e w i f e " ) . W h a t assumptions a r e built i n t o this document?

a r e g i r l s , h o w t h e y d r e s s , w h a t t h e y d o , a n d h o w t h e y a r e t r e a t e d . I n f a c t , c h i l d r e n ' s u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d e x p e c t a t i o n s a b o u t g e n d e r a r e l a r g e l y i n f l u e n c e d b y w h a t t h e y s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e . G e n d e r i d e n t i t y i s n o t f i x e d a t b i r t h ; r a t h e r i t i s a p r o c e s s t h a t e v o l v e s o v e r t i m e .

S i m i l a r l y , t h e m e a n i n g o f e t h n i c i d e n t i t y a n d n a t i o n a l i t y i s s o m e ­t h i n g w o r k e d o u t w i t h i n l a r g e r s o c i a l a n d c u l t u r a l s e t t i n g s . O n e i l l u s t r a t i o n i s t h e s t o r y o f P r e s i d e n t B a r a c k O b a m a a s t o l d i n h i s m e m o i r , Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance ( 1 9 9 5 ) . B o r n i n 1 9 6 1 t o a w h i t e A m e r i c a n m o t h e r a n d a b l a c k K e n y a n f a t h e r , O b a m a w a s r a i s e d i n H a w a i i b y h i s m o t h e r a n d h e r p a r e n t s . H i s f a t h e r l e f t t h e f a m i l y t o a t t e n d H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y a n d e v e n t u a l l y r e t u r n e d t o K e n y a , w h e r e h e w o r k e d a s a g o v e r n m e n t e c o n o m i s t . H i s m o t h e r ' s s e c o n d h u s b a n d w a s I n d o n e s i a n , a n d O b a m a s p e n t s e v e r a l y e a r s o f h i s c h i l d h o o d i n J a k a r t a b e f o r e r e t u r n i n g t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s t o l i v e w i t h h i s g r a n d p a r e n t s a n d f o l l o w i n h i s f a t h e r ' s f o o t s t e p s t o H a r v a r d , w h e r e h e e a r n e d a l a w d e g r e e . P r e s i d e n t O b a m a ' s s t o r y s u g ­g e s t s t h a t a p e r s o n ' s s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y i s n o t j u s t t h e s u m o f t h e

INTRODUCTION 7

f a c t s o f h i s o r h e r b i r t h . I n h i s o p e n i n g r e m a r k s a t t h e 2 0 0 4 D e m ­o c r a t i c N a t i o n a l C o n v e n t i o n , O b a m a s a i d t h a t h i s p a r e n t s g a v e h i m " a n A f r i c a n n a m e , B a r a c k , o r ' b l e s s e d , ' b e l i e v i n g t h a t i n a t o l ­e r a n t A m e r i c a y o u r n a m e i s n o b a r r i e r t o s u c c e s s . " H e c o n t i n ­u e d , " I s t a n d h e r e t o d a y , g r a t e f u l f o r t h e d i v e r s i t y o f m y h e r i t a g e , a w a r e t h a t m y p a r e n t s ' d r e a m s l i v e o n i n m y t w o p r e c i o u s d a u g h ­t e r s . I s t a n d h e r e k n o w i n g m y s t o r y i s p a r t o f t h e l a r g e r A m e r i c a n s t o r y . " O b a m a i d e n t i f i e s h i m s e l f i n t e r m s o f h i s A f r i c a n h e r i t a g e a n d h i s f a m i l y , a n d t h e n g o e s b e y o n d t h e f a c t s o f h i s b i r t h b y i d e n t i f y i n g h i m s e l f w i t h i n t h e l a r g e r c o n t e x t o f A m e r i c a n c u l t u r e . Y e t , a s a s c h o o l - a g e d k i d t h i s f u t u r e p r e s i d e n t ' s f e e l i n g s a b o u t h i s h e r i t a g e a n d h i s d i v o r c e d p a r e n t s w e r e n o t s o g r a n d . L i k e o t h e r k i d s i n s i m i l a r c i r c u m s t a n c e s , h e s t r u g g l e d t o find h i s p l a c e a m o n g c l a s s m a t e s w h o s e l i v e s a p p e a r e d t o b e l e s s c o m p l e x t h a n h i s .

I n r e a l i t y , t h e f a c t s o f o u r b i r t h a r e m e r e l y s t a r t i n g p o i n t s f o r u n ­d e r s t a n d i n g i d e n t i t y . L a r g e r s o c i a l a n d c u l t u r a l f o r c e s a l s o p l a y i m p o r t a n t r o l e s i n s h a p i n g o u r s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y — e v e n i n c l u d i n g o u r i d e a s a b o u t o u r g e n d e r , r a c e , a n d b o d i e s . J u l i a n D i b b e l l ' s e s ­s a y " A l t e r E g o s : A v a t a r s a n d T h e i r C r e a t o r s " ( p . 5 3 ) a n d M r i g a a S e t h i ' s e s s a y " F a c e b o o k : E d i t i n g M y s e l f " ( p . 6 0 ) b o t h h i g h l i g h t t h e w a y s i n w h i c h t h e g r o w i n g u s e o f o n l i n e g a m i n g a n d s o c i a l n e t w o r k i n g w e b s i t e s h a v e t a u g h t u s t o t h i n k m o r e flexibly a b o u t t h e s e s u p p o s e d l y fixed m a r k e r s o f i d e n t i t y . W h e t h e r c r e a t i n g a n a v a t a r f o r o n l i n e g a m e s s u c h a s Second Life o r World ofWarcrafi o r u p d a t i n g p r o f i l e s i n M y S p a c e o r F a c e b o o k , b o t h D i b b e l l a n d S e t h i a r g u e o u r v i r t u a l i d e n t i t i e s e n c o u r a g e p e o p l e t o r e f l e c t o n t h e d y n a m i c t e n s i o n b e t w e e n h o w w e s e e o u r s e l v e s a n d h o w o t h ­e r s s e e u s .

A s t h e r e a d i n g s i n t h i s c h a p t e r i l l u s t r a t e , p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y c a n n o t b e s e p a r a t e d f r o m t h e s o c i a l c o n t e x t s w e l i v e i n . T h i s c h a p t e r e n ­c o u r a g e s y o u t o e x a m i n e h o w s o m e t a k e n - f o r - g r a n t e d a s p e c t s o f i d e n t i t y , s u c h a s g e n d e r , e t h n i c i t y , a n d e v e n a b l e - b o d i e d n e s s , a r e s h a p e d o r i n f l u e n c e d b y l a r g e r c u l t u r a l f o r c e s .

W h a t q u e s t i o n s c a n y o u a s k t o u n c o v e r t h e b e n e f i t s a n d l i m i t a ­t i o n s o f t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t i d e n t i t y i s w h a t w e ' r e b o r n w i t h ?

• T o w h a t e x t e n t i s o u r s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y p r e d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e f a c t s o f o u r b i r t h ? , ,

• T o w h a t e x t e n t i s o u r s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y a n e g o t i a t i o n o f s o c i a l

a n d c u l t u r a l f o r c e s ?

. I n w h a t w a y s d o e s t h e c o n c e p t t h a t i d e n t i t y i s w h a t w e ' r e b o r n w i t h h e l p u s i n v e s t i g a t e i d e n t i t y ? H o w d o e s t h i s c o n ­c e p t o f i d e n t i t y h i n d e r o r c o n s t r a i n u s ?

Identity is shaped by culture.

F r o m t h i s p e r s p e c t i v e , c u l t u r a l a t t i t u d e s a n d a s s u m p t i o n s l a r g e l y d e f i n e i d e n t i t y a n d a l l o w u s t o l a b e l o r i d e n t i f y o t h e r s . P e o p l e d o n o t l i v e i n a v a c u u m , a f t e r a l l . I n s t e a d , w e p i c k u p t h e i n f l u e n c e s o f o u r s u r r o u n d i n g s . T h e s t u d e n t i d e n t i - k i t p i c t u r e p r o v i d e d b e ­l o w ( s e e a l s o p . g i ) h e l p s i l l u s t r a t e t h i s p e r s p e c t i v e . T o c r e a t e a s e l f - p o r t r a i t , t h i s s t u d e n t c o m b i n e d c u l t u r a l o b j e c t s t h a t a r e m e a n i n g f u l t o h i s s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y . W h a t t h i s i d e n t i - k i t p i c t u r e d e m o n s t r a t e s i s t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y i s c o n ­n e c t e d t o o u r s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s ( o u r f r i e n d s , f a m i l y , a n d c o m ­m u n i t y ) , t o t h e m a t e r i a l o b j e c t s w e c h o o s e , a n d t o t h e v a r i o u s c u l t u r a l c o n t e x t s o f o u r l i v e s .

This i d e n t i - k i t was created in response to an assignment t h a t asl<ed students to construct a hyperconscious image of one aspect of t h e i r i d e n t i t y For this student, sports and

fitness a r e i m p o r t a n t factors in h o w he sees himself The baseball, glove, and f o o t b a l l also i l l u s t r a t e his connection to communities of t e a m m a t e s . The barbells, w e i g h t bench, and superhero costume — a humorous touch—show t h a t this student connects his i d e n t i t y to popular notions of masculinity and s t r e n g t h .

INTRODUCTION 9

A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s v i e w p o i n t , i d e n t i t y i s s h a p e d t h r o u g h accultur­ation. A c c u l t u r a t i o n i s t h e p r o c e s s b y w h i c h w e a b s o r b t h e p r a c ­t i c e s , a t t i t u d e s , a n d b e l i e f s o f p a r t i c u l a r s o c i a l g r o u p s . C u l t u r e c o n n e c t s u s b y p r o v i d i n g a s h a r e d s e t o f c u s t o m s , v a l u e s , i d e a s , a n d b e l i e f s . I n t h i s c h a p t e r , y o u w i l l e x a m i n e h o w t h e cultural markers of identity t h a t w e c h o o s e — s u c h a s t h e t y p e s o f c a r s w e _ d r i v e ^ t h e c l o t h e s w e w e a r , a n d t h e m u s i c w e l i s t e n t o — c a n a f ­f e c t o u r s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y . T h e s e m a r k e r s a l l o w u s t o l a b e l o u r ­s e l v e s a n d o t h e r s a s b e l o n g i n g t o a p a r t i c u l a r s o c i a l g r o u p o r a s h a v i n g c e r t a i n s h a r e d i n t e r e s t s o r v a l u e s .

C o n s i d e r , f o r e x a m p l e , w h a t i t m e a n s t o l a b e l s o m e o n e a s " n o r ­m a l . " W h a t , a f t e r a l l , i s n o r m a l ? I s n o r m a l d e f i n e d b y h o w y o u l o o k ? H o w e a s y y o u r n a m e i s t o p r o n o u n c e ? W h e r e y o u s h o p f o r c l o t h e s ? I s i t n o r m a l t o h a v e a p i e r c e d t o n g u e a n d a c o u p l e o f t a t ­t o o s ? I s n o r m a l d e s i r a b l e ? C l e a r l y , t h e l a b e l " n o r m a l " i s l o a d e d w i t h a r a n g e o f c u l t u r a l a s s u m p t i o n s . A t t e m p t i n g t o d e f i n e " n o r ­m a l " r e v e a l s t h a t i d e n t i t y s h i f t s w i t h u s a s w e m o v e i n d i f f e r e n t s o c i a l s e t t i n g s o r c o n t e x t s . W h a t i s v i e w e d a s n o r m a l o n a c o l l e g e c a m p u s m a y n o t b e s e e n t h e s a m e w a y i n t h e w o r k p l a c e o r i n a s o c i a l s e t t i n g . B y n a m i n g a n d d e s c r i b i n g s o m e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s t h a t w e a s s o c i a t e w i t h t h e t e r m " n o r m a l , " w e c a n u n c o v e r t h e c o m m o n a s s u m p t i o n s b e h i n d t h e w a y s t h a t w e g r o u p o u r s e l v e s a n d o t h e r s .

T h e c o n c e p t o f " n o r m a l " a l s o h e l p s i l l u s t r a t e t h a t o u r d a i l y l i v e s a r e s a t u r a t e d w i t h c u l t u r a l m e s s a g e s a b o u t w h a t i s v a l u e d o v e r w h a t i s n o t . I n h e r e s s a y " M a s k s " ( p . 6 6 ) , L u c y G r e a l y a d d r e s s e s t h e q u e s t i o n , " W h a t d o e s i t m e a n t o l i v e o u t s i d e o f t h e s o c i a l n o r m ? " G r e a l y , w h o s e f a c e w a s d i s f i g u r e d b y c a n c e r w h e n s h e w a s a c h i l d , w r i t e s o f h e r e x p e r i e n c e a s a n a d o l e s c e n t : " I w a n t e d n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h t h e w o r l d o f l o v e ; I t h o u g h t w a n t i n g l o v e w a s a w e a k n e s s t o o v e r c o m e . A n d b e s i d e s , I t h o u g h t t o m y s e l f , t h e w o r l d o f l o v e w a n t e d n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h m e . " I t m a y b e n i c e t o t h i n k t h a t o u r c u l t u r e a c c e p t s e v e r y b o d y f o r w h o t h e y a r e , b u t , a s G r e a l y ' s s t o r y r e m i n d s u s , t h e s o c i a l a n d c u l t u r a l f o r c e s t h a t h e l p s h a p e o u r s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y a r e n o t n e u t r a l . I n s t e a d , t h e y o p e r a t e l i k e a p o w e r f u l l e n s t h r o u g h w h i c h w e m a k e j u d g m e n t s a b o u t o u r s e l v e s a n d o t h e r s .

W h a t q u e s t i o n s c a n y o u a s k t o u n c o v e r t h e b e n e f i t s a n d l i m i t a ­t i o n s o f t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t i d e n t i t y i s s h a p e d b y c u l t u r e ?

• W h a t c o u n t a s c u l t u r a l m a r k e r s o f i d e n t i t y ? H o w d o t h e y h e l p o t h e r s t o i d e n t i f y w h o y o u a r e ? H o w a c c u r a t e l y d o t h e y

10 IDENTITY

c o n v e y w h o y o u a i t h e m ?

H o w d o s h a r e d s e

l i e f s w o r k t o g e t h e r

H o w d o t h e y a f f e c t

W h a t a r e t h e c o n s c

o f r e c o g n i z i n g t h a t

o t h e r w o r d s , h o w d

y o u s h a p e w h o y o u

Identity is shaped by

A n o t h e r c o m m o n a s s s h a p e d b y o u r p e r s o n t h i s v i e w p o i n t , t o u n d c h o i c e s w e m a k e i n o u r e l a t i o n s h i p s a n d a n y t s e e i n g a l l m a t t e r s o f i o f o r c e s t h a t a r e b e y o n d t h a t i n d i v i d u a l s p a r t i c i [ i d e n t i t i e s .

C e r t a i n l y t h i s a s s u m p t i c s i m p l y d u p e s o f M a c b l i n d l y a c c e p t i n g t h e t i t h a t t h e y s e l l . R a t h e r , w i t h e p e r s o n a l c h o i c e i l l u p h o t o e s s a y ( p . 7 3 ) . T h e i f i e d t h e i r b o d i e s t o c o r m a n y w a y s , t h e i r c h o i c e a l l m a k e w h e n w e d r e s ! w a y s . P e o p l e h a v e l o n g s i o n o f p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y , j u d g e o t h e r s ) b a s e d o n s t u d y t h e " S e p t e m b e r 1 q u e s t i o n , " T o w h a t e x t e n w e w a n t others t o s e e u s

W h a t ' s m o r e , t h e i d e n t i a c c o r d i n g t o d i f f e r e n t S(

c o n v e y w h o y o u a r e ? H o w d o y o u i d e n t i f y y o u r s e l f t h r o u g h t h e m ?

H o w d o s h a r e d s e t s o f c u s t o m s , v a l u e s , a t t i t u d e s , a n d b e ­l i e f s w o r k t o g e t h e r t o f o r m t h e c u l t u r a l c o n t e x t s o f y o u r l i f e ? H o w d o t h e y a f f e c t y o u r e v e r y d a y l i f e ?

W h a t a r e t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s — b o t h p o s i t i v e a n d n e g a t i v e — o f r e c o g n i z i n g t h a t i d e n t i t y i s a p r o c e s s o f a c c u l t u r a t i o n ? I n o t h e r w o r d s , h o w d o e s y o u r a b s o r p t i o n o f t h e c u l t u r e a r o u n d y o u s h a p e w h o y o u a r e a n d h o w y o u l i v e ?

Identity is shaped by personal choices.

A n o t h e r c o m m o n a s s u m p t i o n a b o u t i d e n t i t y i s t h a t i t i s s h a p e d b y o u r p e r s o n a l c h o i c e s o r d e c i s i o n s . A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s v i e w p o i n t , t o u n d e r s t a n d i d e n t i t y w e m u s t e x a m i n e t h e c h o i c e s w e m a k e i n o u r d a i l y l i v e s — c h o i c e s a b o u t o u r s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s a n d a n y t h i n g e l s e w e c a r e a b o u t . R a t h e r t h a n s e e i n g a l l m a t t e r s o f i d e n t i t y a s d e t e r m i n e d b y l a r g e r c u l t u r a l f o r c e s t h a t a r e b e y o n d o u r c o n t r o l , t h i s v i e w p o i n t r e c o g n i z e s t h a t i n d i v i d u a l s p a r t i c i p a t e i n a n d m a k e d e c i s i o n s a b o u t t h e i r i d e n t i t i e s . ...

C e r t a i n l y t h i s a s s u m p t i o n i s b a s e d i n t r u t h . A f t e r a l l , w e a r e n o t s i m p l y d u p e s o f M a d i s o n A v e n u e ' s m a r k e t i n g m a c h i n e s , b l i n d l y a c c e p t i n g t h e t r e n d s , f a s h i o n s , a n d c u l t u r a l a t t i t u d e s t h a t t h e y s e l l . R a t h e r , w e m a k e c h o i c e s . C o n s i d e r , f o r e x a m p l e , t h e p e r s o n a l c h o i c e i l l u s t r a t e d b y t h e " S e p t e m b e r n T a t t o o s " p h o t o e s s a y ( p . 7 3 ) . T h e p e o p l e d e p i c t e d i n t h e s e p h o t o s m o d ­i f i e d t h e i r b o d i e s t o c o m m u n i c a t e v e r y p e r s o n a l m e s s a g e s . I n m a n y w a y s , t h e i r c h o i c e s a r e n o d i f f e r e n t t h a n t h e c h o i c e s w e a l l m a k e w h e n w e d r e s s o u r s e l v e s o r s t y l e o u r h a i r i n c e r t a i n w a y s . P e o p l e h a v e l o n g r e c o g n i z e d t h a t f a s h i o n i s a n e x p r e s ­s i o n o f p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y . Y e t , h o w o f t e n a r e w e j u d g e d ( o r d o w e j u d g e o t h e r s ) b a s e d o n f a s h i o n o r s t y l e c h o i c e s ? W h e n y o u s t u d y t h e " S e p t e m b e r 11 T a t t o o s " p h o t o e s s a y , c o n s i d e r t h e q u e s t i o n , " T o w h a t e x t e n t i s h o w w e d r e s s a n e x p r e s s i o n o f h o w w e w a n t others t o s e e u s ? "

W h a t ' s m o r e , t h e i d e n t i t y t h a t w e c o n v e y t o o t h e r s c h a n g e s a c c o r d i n g t o d i f f e r e n t s o c i a l c o n t e x t s . T h a t i s , o u r i n d i v i d u a l

INTRODUCTION n

"When I grow up, I want to .

b e a l a w y e r . Alexander Ugori, 10

b e a c o u n s e l o r . Serina K. Crousby, 10

b e a U n i t e d S t a t e s M a r i n e . S h j a w n Q u i n n , n

W h e n you were 1 0 , w h a t did you w a n t to be w h e n you grew up, and why? F i f t h ^ graders a t t h e Peabody School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were asked this ques­t i o n . W h e n asked why he w a n t s to be a lawyer, Alexander Ugori, 1 0 , responded, "Because I like arguing. And my m o m says I'm good a t arguing." Shjawn Quinn, n , said he is inspired by his dad, a f o r m e r m a r i n e , and by w h a t Shjawn believes t h e m i l i t a r y has to offer. "I like t h a t you can serve your country and you can get f r e e houses . . . and I'd like to get to shoot a r i f e and a t w o - b a r r e l shotgun."*

i d e n t i t i e s a r e i n c o n s t a n t f l u x . R e c a l l t h i s c h a p t e r ' s i n i t i a l a s s i g n ­m e n t , " I d e n t i t y a n T W a l l e t s ? ' w h i c h i n c l u d e s a l i s t o f i d e n t i f i c a ­t i o n c a r d s . T h e c a r d s i l l u s t r a t e t h e i d e a t h a t i d e n t i t y , u n l i k e i d e n ­t i f i c a t i o n c a r d s , i s n o t fixed o r p e r m a n e n t . W h i l e I D c a r d s i n c l u d e a p h o t o a n d a s e r i e s o f f a c t s ( w h e r e w e l i v e , h e i g h t , w e i g h t , a n i d e n t i f i c a t i o n n u m b e r ) , t h e " f a c t s " o f o u r i d e n t i t i e s a r e n o t s o fixed. T h e y c h a n g e a n d e v o l v e . T h i s i s w h a t i t m e a n s t o c a l l i d e n ­t i t y a n o p e n t e x t . I D c a r d s s h o w p r o o f o f t h e e v e r - e v o l v i n g n a t u r e o f i d e n t i t y . T h e p h o t o s i n t h e s e c a r d s n e v e r s e e m u p - t o - d a t e , a n d m a n y o f u s c a r r y p i c t u r e s o f f a m i l y a n d f r i e n d s t h a t a r e a l s o o u t - o f - d a t e . P u l l o u t o n e o f t h e s e o l d p i c t u r e s o r I D s a n d l o o k f o r

d e t a i l s t h a t r e v e a l a i d e n t i t y .

A n o t h e r e x a m p l e t h , o p e n t e x t a r e t h e p i g r a d e r s w h o w e r e a s g r o w u p ? " ( s e e t h e p s p o n d e d t o t h i s q u e s s t i l l h a v e t h e s a m e l i f A f t e r a l l , y o u a r e n o t y o u w e r e t e n .

T h i s t h i r d a s s u m p t i o r c o n t e x t s i n w h i c h w e c h o i c e s w e m a k e . A c c ( s h i f t s o v e r t i m e a n d i r

W h a t q u e s t i o n s c a n yc t i o n s o f t h e a s s u m p t i c

• H o w d o e s y o u r s y o u r s e n s e o f i d e n

• H o w d o e s b e l i e v i r c h o i c e c o n s t r a i n 0 T h a t i s , w h a t d o e s

Questioning These J

T h e r e a d i n g s a n d a s s i g t o e x a m i n e o u r c u l t u r a l u s w h o w e a r e ? H o w i s c h o i c e a n d l a r g e r c u l t i m e n u o f t h i s c h a p t e r ' s t i o n s t o g e t y o u t h i n k i n e x p l o r e s .

- ' S e r i n a K. C r o u s b y w a s n o t q u o t e d i n t h e a r t i c l e t h a t a p p e a r e d i n t h e Cambridge TAB.

12 IDENTITY

d e t a i l s t h a t r e v e a l a n o w - d i s c a r d e d o r c h a n g e d a s p e c t o f y o u r i d e n t i t y .

A n o t h e r e x a m p l e t h a t i l l u s t r a t e s t h e i d e a t h a t i d e n t i t y i s a n o p e n t e x t a r e t h e p h o t o s a n d r e s p o n s e s o f a g r o u p o f f i f t h g r a d e r s w h o w e r e a s k e d , " W h a t d o y o u w a n t t o b e w h e n y o u g r o w u p ? " ( s e e t h e p h o t o s o n p . 1 2 ) . H o w w o u l d y o u h a v e r e ­s p o n d e d t o t h i s q u e s t i o n w h e n y o u w e r e 1 0 y e a r s o l d ? D o y o u s t i l l h a v e t h e s a m e l i f e a n d c a r e e r g o a l s , o r h a v e t h e y c h a n g e d ? A f t e r a l l , y o u a r e n o t e x a c t l y t h e s a m e p e r s o n y o u w e r e w h e n y o u w e r e t e n .

T h i s t h i r d a s s u m p t i o n s u g g e s t s t h a t d e s p i t e t h e l a r g e r c u l t u r a l c o n t e x t s i n w h i c h w e l i v e , w e s h a p e o u r i d e n t i t i e s t h r o u g h t h e c h o i c e s w e m a k e . A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s v i e w , i d e n t i t y i s n o t f i x e d , b u t s h i f t s o v e r t i m e a n d i n d i f f e r e n t s i t u a t i o n s .

W h a t q u e s t i o n s c a n y o u a s k t o u n c o v e r t h e b e n e f i t s a n d l i m i t a ­t i o n s o f t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t i d e n t i t y i s a p e r s o n a l c h o i c e ?

• H o w d o e s y o u r s e n s e o f p e r s o n a l c h o i c e h e l p y o u d e f i n e y o u r s e n s e o f i d e n t i t y ?

• H o w d o e s b e l i e v i n g t h a t e v e r y t h i n g i s a m a t t e r o f p e r s o n a l c h o i c e c o n s t r a i n o r l i m i t y o u r a b i l i t y t o i n v e s t i g a t e i d e n t i t y ? T h a t i s , w h a t d o e s i t l e a v e o u t ?

Questioning These Assumptions '

T h e r e a d i n g s a n d a s s i g n m e n t s t h r o u g h o u t t h i s c h a p t e r a s k y o u t o e x a m i n e o u r c u l t u r a l a s s u m p t i o n s a b o u t i d e n t i t y . W h a t m a k e s u s w h o w e a r e ? H o w i s i d e n t i t y a n e g o t i a t i o n b e t w e e n p e r s o n a l c h o i c e a n d l a r g e r c u l t u r a l f o r c e s ? O n t h e f o l l o w i n g p a g e i s a m e n u o f t h i s c h a p t e r ' s r e a d i n g s , a l o n g w i t h a f e w m o r e q u e s ­t i o n s t o g e t y o u t h i n k i n g a b o u t s o m e o f t h e i s s u e s t h i s c h a p t e r e x p l o r e s .