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Jessica Penate

Professor Encinias

CAS 115

October 23, 2023

The Exploration of Transnationalism’s Impact on Identity

It is said that over 270 million people worldwide are living outside their country of birth.

This global diaspora is driven by the forces of transnationalism, it is what transforms the very

essence of identity. We know that immigrants from Central America come to the U.S for a better

opportunity, to have a better life, but sometimes it doesn’t end well. I will discuss the major

changes that immigrants go through when they come to the U.S and how they fall under

stereotypical groups that they don’t wanna be part of but are forced to. They begin to have an

identity crisis, even crisis with their own culture due to these changes. And we will cover the

hardships and oppressions that immigrants have to go through when migrating to the United

States. Immigrants arrive in the United States, like I said in hope for a better life and new

opportunities. However, the reality they encounter is frequently far from what they expected.

These people's experience give us an insight into the multifaceted impact of transnationalism on

personal identities and cultural heritage.We will see how transnationalism shapes and redefines

immigrant individuals' identities, and these major changes which will lead to a complex

interplay in their cultural heritage and Identity in general.

One of the primary challenges that immigrants have to face when they enter the United

States is the imposition of stereotypes.When immigrants enter the United States, immigrants

from Central America are often classified as “Hispanics” or “Latinos.” And many of these

individuals do not associate with these stereotypes, they don’t feel like they belong to this

particular group, they feel a stronger sense of connection to their home countries. Although some

don’t accept, there are several immigrants that may assimilate into these labels out of the fear of

deportation. Often assimilating can often result in the destruction of their culture Identity. We can

see this in the article, “Expressions of Mayan Identity and Culture in Los Angeles” this article

reveals how Mayan migrants are forced into the “Hispanic” or “Latino” group once they enter

the United States. And we can see in the article that it states, “A frequent destination for the

Maya is Los Angeles, California, where they are confronted with the pressures to adapt

within an environment that is predominantly Latino/Hispanic.” Here we see that Mayan are

pressured to be under a label that they don’t want to be in. Further along the article we can also

see, “ As a result, Maya immigrants are forced to blend in with the Latino community in order to

avoid attracting attention and being identified as immigrants by local authorities. Due to that fear

inside of them they’d rather assimilate in a stereotypical group than to be deported. As I

mentioned before, assimilation leads to distancing of the individual's culture. Like the Mayan

they embrace their culture anymore because of fear. For example Maya women have this

traditional outfit that they wear called a “traje” but now they are unable to wear that because they

want to avoid attracting attention and being identified.

Transnationalism creates a complex cultural environment that leads to identity crises. Immigrant

individuals who migrate between different countries and cultures have to encounter significant

changes that often challenge their self-perception. All these changes and challenges result in the

newer generation having an indenting crisis and causing them to drift away from their culture.

And this is further complicated by the stereotypes imposed upon them by their home countries.

In “High-Risk Homosexuals” by Edgar Gomez, the author illustrates his struggle with

identity, result of his realization of his homosexuality and also the expectations placed upon him

as a parent of a hispanic family. Hispanics families place expectations upon both girls and boys.

For example in the Book the hospital gave the author's parents a pamphlet called “What is a

Boy”. In the pamphlet it talks about what is expected of a boy. Just in this part of the book it

shows us what Hispanic families expect of boys. From the moment they are born, they are

already teaching and forcing this stereotype upon young boys, which is known as “machismo” .

They expect the boy to act masculine; it's this strong belief that to assert strong or aggressive

masculine pride. This is what most of the time leads to confusion with their identity. For example

the author Edgar would be sent to Nicaragua with his uncle, and he would force Edgar to act

masculine and make him do “manly activities” such as sleeping with girls. Us a reader can

assume that his family were aware that the author was gay but they didn’t want to accept him so

they just forced him to do all of that, which is what most likely led him to have an identity crisis

but also the stereotype of “Masculinity” that forced upon him at a very young age. Further on the

book, since he was too scared to embrace his true-self he would try to change his appearance.

For example Edgar could tell that his brother Hector was embarrassed to bring his friends around

due to Edgar's appearance. In the book it states, “ I watered my appearance down and tried to
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build a case, if not for my being straight…” he tried to completely change his look just to cover

up his identity.

We can see these similar issues in the article, “Becoming Hispanic in the New South” .

This article shows how immigrant identities are shaped by the way they are perceived in the

United States. Stereotypes and prejudice forces individuals to navigate their own cultural

identities. In the article we see the stereotype that is forced upon immigrants again, they are put

under a label of “Hispanics” or “Latinos.” People in the United States make assumptions about

immigrants, they assume they are all “Mexican because they have brown skin. This community

is misjudged and mistreated. Many immigrants don’t see themselves as “Hispanics” or ‘Latinos”

they rather identify with their home country, but people here in the United States don’t

understand that. They are often judged based on the way they dress, act. For example people

easily assume that all immigrants are criminals and are a burden to the U.S and they don’t know

the contributions that many Central American immigrants make to the new communities.

Immigrants coming to the United States seeking better opportunities often face immense

hardships and oppression on their journey. They leave their homes behind to escape violence,

dictatorship, and the limited opportunities. However this journey for a better life is often met

with difficult challenges. In the article “Central American migrants are a word-of-mouth exodus

to the U.S” by the Los Angeles Times, this article we witness the horrible experiences that

immigrants had to endure in their journeys. Many had to endure violence, exploitation and even

death while traveling to the U.S. And the sad part about this is that several children were

exposed to all of this. In the reading we can see how in order for the immigrant individuals to

stay on the train they had to pay bribes. In the article it states, “Almost every one of them has had
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to pay bribes, either to Mexican Police, immigration officials or gangs….. and an individual who

was also migrating states, “if you don’t pay, they throw you off the train.” Calico said, adding

that he had seen five people shot to death because they didn’t have the money.” These are some

examples of the hardships that immigrants have to face. Pretty much all immigrants had to go

through all of that for a better life, but regardless of that they are treated horribly here.

We can see a similar issue in the text “Undocumented Latinas: The New Employable Mother”

this article highlights the exploitation and mistreatment of undocumented women who have

come to the U.S seeking for a better life. Regardless of their good intentions they are being

treated by their bosses and in general they are just not being with undocumented women. In the

article it states, “abuse of undocumented women working in private households is not

uncommon” and what is even more upsetting is that people in the U.S are aware of what these

women are having to go through. The hardships and oppression these women have to endure,

many have to work long hours without legal protections or access to basic employment benefits,

and they may be vulnerable to exploitation due to their immigration status or social class. These

women and immigrants in general often have limited options and may fear reporting

mistreatment, as it may lead to deportation.

As we have discussed today, immigrants who move across borders often find themselves

struggling with stereotypes and a loss of cultural identity. They are forced into stereotypical

groups they do not wish to be part of, which can result in identity crises and it leads to distancing

from their own cultural roots. Moreover, immigrants face numerous hardships and oppression,

sometimes enduring dangerous journeys in search of a better life, only for them to encounter

mistreatment and exploitation when they arrive in the United States. And this is all driven by the

forces of transnationalism, people in the U.S need to understand the struggles immigrants face
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and they are only seeking for better opportunities and all of this has an impact on their identities

and cultural heritage. We should start examining the experiences of individuals like Mayan

migrants, Edgar Gomez, and countless others, we gain insight into the challenges associated with

transnationalism and identity. If we acknowledge the experiences that immigrants have to

undertake in these journeys, it will help us move forward to a more inclusive and equal society

that is not defined by stereotypes but are rather encouraged to embrace their culture and diverse

identities.

Works cited

Gomez, Edgar. High-Risk Homosexual: A Memoir. Soft Skull Press, 2022.

Wilkinson , Tracy. “Central American Migrants Are on a Word-of-Mouth Exodus to the U.S .”

Los Angeles Time , 2014.

Yarbrough, Robert A. “Becoming ‘Hispanic’ in the ‘new south’: Central American Immigrants’

racialization experiences in Atlanta, GA, USA.” GeoJournal, vol. 75, no. 3, 2009,

Chang, Grace. “Undocumented latinas: The new ‘employable mothers.’” Mothering, 2016,

Batz, Giovanni. “Maya cultural resistance in Los Angeles.” Latin American Perspectives, vol.

41, no. 3, 2014,

Peer Review Worksheet-Mario Cervantes

1.
Introduction: How does the first paragraph introduce both the paper’s topic and the

writer’s approach or general conclusion? Is the first sentence attention-getting and

relevant to the topic? It gives us information on the immigration percentage showing

2.
What can you identify as a thesis statement? Suggest, if possible, a way to improve

the introduction or thesis statement. I can identify the thesis statement.

3.
Structure: Can you identify the organization of the paper from the main idea of each

paragraph? What are the main concepts explored in the paper? Does each paragraph

make a relevant point that is distinct from what has already been covered? What are

the main conclusions?

4.
Clarity/Style: Did you find distracting grammar, punctuation, spelling, or word usage

problems? Circle them and identify any patterns or themes you detect. Is the tone of

the essay formal? If you find awkward sentences, try to explain why they don’t make

sense to you.
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5.
Resources: Does the author clearly identify his/her sources? Is proper in-text and

reference format used?

6.
What is/are the paper’s greatest strength(s)? Explain.

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