The struggle of being Toba in contemporary Argentina: Processes of ethnic identification of indigenous children in contexts of language shift

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study how children experience their ethnic identifications in relation to their knowledge of the Toba language through daily interactions with peers and adults (both indigenous and non-indigenous). The study is focused on an urban setting in Buenos Aires (Argentina) where monolingual (Spanish) practices are replacing bilingual ones (Spanish-Toba), and where the Toba language is a valuable feature of ethnicity. From an anthropological perspective, this article focuses on the identity constructions of the children. Finally, it re-examines the agency of the children and looks at how their life experiences impact on their contextual identities.

“Cause it’s family talking to you”: Children acting as change agents for adult food and physical activity behaviors in American Indian households in the Upper Midwestern United States

“…Also, this study explored children as change agents in two “brotherhood” tribes with similar cultural contexts. We feel that the themes draw on contexts common to other indigenous communities, such as trauma, high prevalence of health problems, and poverty (Hecht, 2012; Miles and Hurdle, 2003). Finally, as a non-Native and female interviewer, girls opened up more freely to the first author, while boys were more reserved and spoke less unless prompted more by caregivers who were present at the interview.…”

“…Also, this study was designed, developed, and implemented under normative research ethics views on children's assent as dependent upon adult's consent (Miller and Nelson, 2006). We feel that the themes draw on contexts common to other indigenous communities, such as trauma, high prevalence of health problems, and poverty (Hecht, 2012;Miles and Hurdle, 2003). Children's and adults' suggestions were incorporated into the intervention material development, paying attention to their everyday lived experiences of children (Mayall, 2002), particularly from the context of the social structures within which they are embedded and active such as their families, communities, and institutions.…”

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