- Between weeks 8 and 14, each student should provide a weekly reflection (500 words) on the data you have collected to date.
- What data did you collect?
- What is your initial impression of the data?
- How have the data you have collected this week changed/progressed your thinking about your research project?
- What challenges did you encounter while collecting the data?
- What are your next steps?
Continuing my research about the Salvadoran transnational identity I was able to find two sources. “Cultural memory and making by US Central Americans” by Karina Oliva Alvarado focuses on the collective memory of Salvadoran migrants and Salvadoran Americans. Oliva Alvarado considers collective memory as an act of resistance since it is an attempt to refuse the erasure of identity and the civil war. “Central American-Americans: Invisibility, Power, and Representation in the US Latino World” by Arturo Arias focuses on the unique struggles of Central American migrants. Many Central Americans have to cope with the trauma of dead relatives and having to pass for Mexicans in areas that are predominantly populated by Mexicans.
Oliva Alvarado’s work demonstrates how symbolic cultural and collective memory can be for migrants when they feel isolated and lack a sense of belonging. Collective and cultural memory allows for solidarity and sympathy amongst Salvadoran diasporas. Arias’s work details how different assimilation is for Central Americans and why in many ways it is more difficult for us than for other migrants. The data I collected this week reiterates the importance of storytelling and embracing unique identities and struggles. The works of both authors show that there are many different efforts to tell the story of Salvadorans in order to better understand them.
This week there were not many struggles since I expanded my research to include studies encompassing the Central American experience instead of narrowing it down to the Salvadoran experience. Next week I intend on focusing on Salvadoran identity in Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles. Studying Los Angeles is especially important for me since it is where I was born and raised. I want to compare my experience to that of others to learn and better understand my own Salvadoran American identity. Also, using Los Angeles as a case study allows me to explore the conflicts and tensions between Mexicans and Salvadorans in Southern California.