ERIC Number: EJ912630
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1550-7076
EISSN: N/A
"Se Puede Conservar La Cultura y Tambien Se Puede Aspirar": Language and Cultural Identities among the Cora of Mexico
Lopez, Jacqueline; Frawley, William; Peyton, Joy Kreeft
Heritage Language Journal, v7 n2 p22-45 Fall 2010
This paper examines the connection between heritage language and culture and the construction and maintenance of social and personal identities of the Cora, an indigenous people of the Mexican Sierra del Nayar, in Northwestern Mexico. Using the frameworks of the socially and linguistically mediated mind (Dennet, 1991; Harre & Gillet, 1994; Searle, 1998) and the Continua of Biliteracy (Hornberger, 2002; Hornberger & Wang, 2008), the paper presents data from interviews with Cora speakers to show how language and cultural connection support identity establishment and maintenance among the Cora. The data indicate that the Cora experience pressure to assimilate into mainstream Mexican society, yet they continue to manage multiple identities. One of the ways they do this is by shifting between an endogenous Cora identity and an integrated Mexican identity. The paper closes with recommendations on teaching Cora language and culture in school, so that their identities can be maintained and strengthened. (Contains 6 notes.)
Descriptors: Heritage Education, Language Maintenance, Cultural Maintenance, Indigenous Populations, Interviews, American Indian Languages, Native Speakers, Self Concept, Art Education, Foreign Countries, Mexicans, Feminism, Teaching Methods, Native Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Spanish
National Heritage Language Resource Center and UC Consortium for Language Learning & Teaching. 1333 Rolfe Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1411. Tel: 310-825-1138; Fax: 310-206-5183; e-mail: hlj@international.ucla.edu; Web site: http://www.heritagelanguages.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A