Ethnic identity, perceived discrimination and affective processes in young urban mapuche

Abstract

The article presents a critical reflection on identity as understood in psychology. It expounds the importance of considering and emphasising the affective as well as the cognitive aspects of identity, and proposes that the construction of identity is a dynamic process, since it is in constant movement and transformation throughout human development. The process of identity formation is also affected by the local cultural environment and by globalisation, especially where identity tensions exist, as in the case of young people who consider themselves members of an indigenous people. In this duality, the ethnic identity of young Mapuche is constantly negotiated between the tensions of maintaining their culture and forming part of the culture of the dominant group – which commonly devalues the identity of minority groups by installing prejudices and discriminatory practices that will have consequences in the lives of the young victims of discrimination. This document is a theoretical article. Its main object is to contribute to understanding of identity formation in young people who identify themselves as Mapuche in the current context of urban Chile, which is marked by a climate of violence and discrimination.