We are, of course changed. In my experience, I still have my original identity and culture, but I am now being opened to a whole new view of life. In an article by author Shelia Kholer, she explains, “our identities are formed in so many different ways: by the people around us, the books we read, our heroes and heroines, and above all perhaps by the work we do, but speaking a foreign language, can lead one to create a different disguise and help to understand who we are” (Kholer). She argues that by immersing yourself in a different language, and therefore a different culture, your identity is then subject to changes and development. Anzaldua highlights this idea by again explaining that, “If a person, Chicana or Latina, has a low estimation of my native tongue, she also has a low estimation of me” (Anzaldua 774). Therefore, I believe language is ultimately tied to one’s identity, as well as the identity and culture of a group of people
As with many cultures, we can see similar social and political problems that we may think are specific to that one culture, but in fact they are not. Like Anzaldua, I can personally relate to how she feels that Chicanas have lost their confidence with their Spanish language because I also feel low self-esteem when judging my level of Spanish competence. And there are many different versions of the Spanish language, which helps to create separate cultures that are still like each other. Cultures as different as Chicana and American can still be related by social and identity issues such as feminism. This just goes to show that while cultures are something that make us unique in the world, they are also something that show similarities between us, highlighting how we are all in this world together.
Photos by Jamie Springett
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