The ethnic and racial demography of the U.S. population has changed tremendously. The U.S. Census reports that a majority of children in the United States are now racial/ethnic minorities. By 2043, the general American population is projected to include an ethnic minority-majority. Accordingly, research on ethnic/racial identity has taken on critical significance. Ethnic/racial identity is a central aspect of the development of ethnic minority youth, especially during adolescence and young adulthood, and promotes positive outcomes among youth who have been exposed to racial discrimination and other stressors. In some cases, a strong ethnic/racial identity can buffer youth from negative life events. One important issue for consideration is the unique experiences of each ethnic/racial group versus commonalities across groups. There has also been limited research on how biological, family, school, neighborhood and societal contexts shape the development and content of ethnic/racial identity over time. For example, how does ethnic/racial identity develop differently for a Hispanic adolescent in the Southwest compared to the Midwest or the Northeast? The workshop will address the following three goals: (a) to examine and discuss research on how contexts influence ethnic/racial identity over time, (b) to identify how biological, family, school, neighborhood and societal contexts influence the development and content of ethnic/racial identity, and (c) to identity ways that prevailing theories of ethnic/racial identity fail to account for the effects of context on ethnic/racial identity. The workshop participants are an interdisciplinary group including Psychology, Sociology, Education, Political Science, Public Health and Genomics scholars. The workgroup represents diversity in developmental period studied (i.e., childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood), racial/ethnic population studied (i.e., African American, Latino, Asian American and Native American), and methodological approach. The workgroup members are also ethnically diverse themselves. The workshop will result in new collaborations and significant new insights into understanding minority youth development.
