Latino, immmigrants juggle cultural, identity issues

By Christina Esparza, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, November 23, 1998

Immigrant students are trying to find space in the American culture while keeping ties with their homeland.

However, it is difficult when barriers such as language and anti-immigration sentiment keep them from their goal, said JoAnn Aguirre, occupational studies assistant professor at Cal State Long Beach.

Aguirre is the co-author of the study "Transnational Migrants, Cultural Citizenship and the Politics of Language in California," which examines immigrant students in America.

According to the study, a major barrier immigrants face is hostile attitudes toward them. Aguirre pointed out two examples are Proposition 187, which ended bilingual education and Proposition 227, which marked the end of affirmative action in California.

"These policies try to keep individuals bound within the confines of what the dominant society wants them to be," Aguirre said.

Students are learning to mold themselves to fit American culture, in addition to molding to their domestic environment, community and their native country, she said.

The study concluded that although immigrant students' principal goal is to learn English, they do have future goals and are challenging the status quo.