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Multicultural Resource Project

Multiple Identities/ Intersection of Identity

Books/Chapters/Journal Articles:

• Hurtado, A. (1997). "Understanding multiple group identities: Inserting women into cultural transformations." Journal of Social Issues 53(2): 299-328.

  Presents an analysis of the literature on the assimilation/acculturation framework of cultural transformations in the United States. Issues which are included and those which are excluded in the study of group differences between men and women; Integration of recent developments in feminist theory in the analysis; Factors which the social engagement model takes into account.
• Jones, S. R. (1997). "Voices of identity and difference: A qualitative exploration of the multiple dimensions of identity development in women college students." Journal of College Student Development 38: 376-386.

The multiple dimensions of identity development and difference among 10 diverse women college students are described. Data analysis using grounded theory methodology yielded 10 key categories and a core category, which described contextual influences on the construction of idenitity. Implications for student affairs are discussed.

• Jones, S. R. and M. K. McEwen (2000). "A conceptual model of multiple dimensions of identity." Journal of College Student Development 41: 405-414.

A conceptual model of multiple dimensions of identity depicts a core sense of self or one's personal identity. Intersecting circles surrounding the core identity represent significant identity dimensions (e.g. race, sezual orientation, and religion) and contextual influences (e.g. familty background and life experiences). The model evolved from a grounded theory study of a group of 10 women college students ranging in age from 20-24 and of diverse racial-ethnic backgrounds.

• Mayberry, K. J. (1996). Teaching what you're not : identity politics in higher education. New York, New York University Press.

  This edited volume looks at the intersection between course content and instructor identity. Four sections of papers address multiculturalist pedagogies, considerations regarding the students themselves, instructor identities and course content. Papers include: "No Middle Ground? Men Teaching Feminism" (J. Scott Johnson et al.); "Straight Teacher/Queer Classroom: Teaching as an Ally" (Barbara Scott Winkler); "Teaching in the Multiracial Classroom: Reconsidering ?Benito Cereno¹" (Robert S. Levine); "Scratching Heads: The Importance of Sensitivity in the Analysis of ŒOthers¹" (Donna J. Watson); "Who Holds the Mirror? Creating ŒThe Consciousness of Others¹" (Mary Elizabeth Lanser); and "Teaching What the Truth Compels You to Teach: A Historian¹s View" (Jacqueline Jones).

• Morey, A. I. and M. Kitano (1997). Multicultural course transformation in higher education : a broader truth. Boston, Allyn and Bacon.

Papers in this volume suggest a framework for making course and curricular changes, along with specific examples and scenarios from a variety of disciplines. Some chapters and authors include: "A Rationale and Framework for Course Change" (Margie K. Kitano); "What a Course Will Look Like After Multicultural Change" (Margie K. Kitano); "Instructional Strategies" (Eleanor W. Lynch); "Assessment of Student Learning" (Rena B. Lewis); "Classroom Dynamics: Disclosing the Hidden Curriculum" (Terry Jones and Gale Auletta Young); "The Community College Curriculum" (Desna L. Wallin); "Organizational Change and Implementation Strategies for Multicultural Infusion" (Ann Intili Morey); and chapters addressing curricular change and instructional strategies in specific fields (English, mathematics, biological and environmental sciences, economics, nursing, teacher education).

• Reynolds, A. L. and R. L. Pope (1991). "The complexities of diversity: Exploring multiple oppressions." Journal of Counseling & Development 70: 174-180.

There has been a growth of identity development models in multicultural psychology for the past 20 years; these frameworks, however rarely acknowledge the complexities of multiple identities and multiple oppressions. The purpose of this article is to challenge our understanding of cultural diversity beyond its current simplistic frameworks. Alternative worldviews, such as Afrocentric psychology, can broaden our comprehension of human diversity and are used to examine the identity development literature. Several case examples of individuals are explored to illustrate the complexities of cultural diversity. Implications for counseling, training, and research are briefly discussed.

• Schoem, D. L. (1993). Multicultural teaching in the university. Westport, Conn., Praeger.

  This important book includes more than twenty essays by faculty from different disciplines, each articulating the multiple dimensions and components of multicultural teaching. Teachers discuss their own teaching methods and classes in terms of course content, process and discourse, and diversity among faculty and students in the classroom. This volume integrates new scholarship that reflects a more expansive notion of knowledge, and suggests new ways to communicate with diverse populations of students.

• Walker, R. (2001). Black, white, and Jewish : autobiography of a shifting self. New York, Riverhead Books.

Hailed as "compelling" by The Washington Post and "stunningly honest" by The San Francisco Chronicle, this memoir has hit bestseller lists and earned critical praise from coast to coast. Rebecca Walker was born in 1969 to author Alice Walker and lawyer Mel Leventhal, who met and married in the heyday of the Civil Rights movement. But after their divorce, Rebecca was a lonely only child ferrying between two worlds-and trying to figure out where she fit in.