1. Compare and contrast your racial and ethnic identity with
the racial and ethnic identity in one of the countries you have visited.
2. How are racial and ethnicity identities shaped by modernity,
postmodernism, and multiplicity?
3. Has your racial and ethnic identity shifted as a result of
this voyage of discovery?
I consider myself a Canadian. I am from a European background. I speak English. My family is Christian. I grew up celebrating holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Canada Day, etc. A few years ago I visited Guatemala to volunteer with an organization called Students International. I volunteered with a social worker and we went around a small impoverished village conversing with families in the neighbourhood. The largest barrier was the language. I only knew a few words in Spanish, which was the language spoken. The social worker I was with was able to translate for me. The food was also very different. Many of the people that I went with became mildly sick because of the change in food. All of the people that I encountered were very welcoming and accepted me into their homes. They shared about their lives, but there were certain things that they didn't feel comfortable taking about because of their culture. I was also difficult for children to continue to get a high school education. Women in that culture were often streamlined into a few particular professions.
We see racial and ethnic identities in different ways because of modernity, postmodernity and multiplicity. Over my education I have developed a postmodern way of thinking. This leads me to believe that their are many factors in society that shape us and tell us who we are according to others. Who we are according to others can be different from how we see ourselves. There are many factors that intersect to give us our identity. We have a master identity, this is what people first see us as. For some this is race or ethnicity.
As I've realized this it has made me think about whiteness and the privileges that I have without even knowing it. The fact that I am white is overlooked as my master identity but it still shapes much of my life. I see myself as a student and as a wife, maybe other people see this as well. I don't think that others immediately notice that I'm white, as they may have if I had a different skin colour. The fact that I don't think about my 'race' very often is a sign of privilege.
I consider myself a Canadian. I am from a European background. I speak English. My family is Christian. I grew up celebrating holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Canada Day, etc. A few years ago I visited Guatemala to volunteer with an organization called Students International. I volunteered with a social worker and we went around a small impoverished village conversing with families in the neighbourhood. The largest barrier was the language. I only knew a few words in Spanish, which was the language spoken. The social worker I was with was able to translate for me. The food was also very different. Many of the people that I went with became mildly sick because of the change in food. All of the people that I encountered were very welcoming and accepted me into their homes. They shared about their lives, but there were certain things that they didn't feel comfortable taking about because of their culture. I was also difficult for children to continue to get a high school education. Women in that culture were often streamlined into a few particular professions.
We see racial and ethnic identities in different ways because of modernity, postmodernity and multiplicity. Over my education I have developed a postmodern way of thinking. This leads me to believe that their are many factors in society that shape us and tell us who we are according to others. Who we are according to others can be different from how we see ourselves. There are many factors that intersect to give us our identity. We have a master identity, this is what people first see us as. For some this is race or ethnicity.
As I've realized this it has made me think about whiteness and the privileges that I have without even knowing it. The fact that I am white is overlooked as my master identity but it still shapes much of my life. I see myself as a student and as a wife, maybe other people see this as well. I don't think that others immediately notice that I'm white, as they may have if I had a different skin colour. The fact that I don't think about my 'race' very often is a sign of privilege.
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