500 word minimum essay
Rebecca Chiyoko King argues that our identity is “flexible, but that it is not a choice which is
unconstrained” (1997:125). Using her three-level model of racial formation (self-perception,
presentation of self to others, and negotiation with a larger group):
a) Explain one way that people “do” an ethnic, racial, gender, or class identity through
social interaction. Give the best example from a course reading or video that supports
your claim, and describe the connection.
b) Explain one way that an individual’s ability to claim a particular ethnic, racial, gender, or
class identity is limited by social facts. Give the best example from a course reading or
video that supports your claim, and describe the connection.
c) Discuss how your own identity is constructed through your interactions, but also limited
by social facts. Link the process of making constrained but flexible identities to your
path to a college by analyzing one specific example from your life