Beyond belonging. How migrant children actively construct their cultural identities in the interaction
| Title | Beyond belonging. How migrant children actively construct their cultural identities in the interaction |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2014 |
| Authors | Amadasi S |
| Journal | Interdisciplinary Journal of Family Studies |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pagination | 139-155 |
| Date Published | 06/2014 |
| Publisher | Padova University Press |
| Place Published | Padova, IT |
| ISSN Number | 2282-2011 |
| Keywords | children; migration; cultural identity; positioning; interaction |
| Abstract | This article analyses the discursive construction of cultural identity in the interaction among children aged 11-13 who are engaged in learning Italian as a second language. Cultural identity is here conceived as a positioning mode within the interaction, highlighting its processual and relational nature.The Positioning Theory, used as a theoretical framework for this paper, allows to call into question a reified and essentialized idea of identity and culture, acknowledging the possibility of participants' active choice in constructing narratives about their sense of belonging and membership to a particular cultural group. Based on a fieldwork in a primary school and a first grade secondary school, this article observes the different ways through which children actively participate in complex processes of identity negotiation. |
