Chicana Identity Construction: Pushing the Boundaries

Identity concepts that Chicana feminists have described as central to their developmental experience are not reflected in the traditional views of identity, feminist accounts of women’s identity, or ethnic identity theory. Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldúa initially postulated that in the straddling of two cultures, a hybrid or mestiza identity is created. Recent research efforts conducted by Chicanas identify attitudes and behaviors characteristic of mestizas, yielding new details and information on Chicana identity formation.