Search results

This qualitative and ethnographic research seeks to explain the place of ethnicity in the process of identification and social categorization by undergraduate students from the university of Cochabamba. We also search to contribute to the understanding of ethnic identities in multicultural urban contexts. We have identified at least two strong integrated stratification criteria that, confirming the validity of the coloniality of power and coloniality of knowledge, articule the following categorical attributes: social representations of certain features of the body, perceptions of the economic capital, traces of the territories over people, sociolinguistic factors and "intelligence". We have seen that the categorical attributes valued to situate people socially, are not the same for the so-called "jailones" and for the "campeches". If for the formers the color of the skin and wealthy are priority; for the latters, these traits are no longer valid to define their selves and become priority: birthplace, "intelligence", the way to speak the Castilian, hygiene and manners. Furthermore, social representation of the first ones is positive and affirmative, that is, they define their selves by what they are, while the latter ones are defined by what they are not. Finally, regardless of the personal adjustments every social subject make according to the context in which he plays, their social position does not depend on the "mask" that you use, but on the ability to get more visible certain identity dimensions (or scales of subject) and no others. To assume that it is not a matter of "masks" but of identity dimensions of the subject, invites us to recognize that subjects are not reduced by metonymy to the traits by wich they are inferiorized, otherwise they have the power to visualize other features or to change the meanings of the features to be "measured" according to them and not according to those that stigmatize them selves. ; (POLS - Sciences politiques et sociales) -- UCL, 2015

This qualitative and ethnographic research seeks to explain the place of ethnicity in the process of identification and social categorization by undergraduate students from the university of Cochabamba. We also search to contribute to the understanding of ethnic identities in multicultural urban contexts. We have identified at least two strong integrated stratification criteria that, confirming the validity of the coloniality of power and coloniality of knowledge, articule the following categorical attributes: social representations of certain features of the body, perceptions of the economic capital, traces of the territories over people, sociolinguistic factors and "intelligence". We have seen that the categorical attributes valued to situate people socially, are not the same for the so-called "jailones" and for the "campeches". If for the formers the color of the skin and wealthy are priority; for the latters, these traits are no longer valid to define their selves and become priority: birthplace, "intelligence", the way to speak the Castilian, hygiene and manners. Furthermore, social representation of the first ones is positive and affirmative, that is, they define their selves by what they are, while the latter ones are defined by what they are not. Finally, regardless of the personal adjustments every social subject make according to the context in which he plays, their social position does not depend on the "mask" that you use, but on the ability to get more visible certain identity dimensions (or scales of subject) and no others. To assume that it is not a matter of "masks" but of identity dimensions of the subject, invites us to recognize that subjects are not reduced by metonymy to the traits by wich they are inferiorized, otherwise they have the power to visualize other features or to change the meanings of the features to be "measured" according to them and not according to those that stigmatize them selves. ; (POLS - Sciences politiques et sociales) -- UCL, 2015