Mestizaje

Prompt: Essay Prompt: “Mi Familia”(My Family) 6-7pages,double-spaced

Mi Familia traces the process of social identity formation amongst three generations of a Mexican immigrant family living in the United States.  The film depicts the various ways in which different members of this family adapt to their socially and economically marginalized group status as Mexican Americans.

Succinctly describe the process of social identity formation.  Your response should include a discussion of the following terms:  social categorization, social comparison, psychological work, and consciousness. 

Choose two of the following characters from Mi Familia and compare and contrast their experiences of psychological work as depicted in the film. 
Maria, the family matriarch
Jose, the family patriarch
Toni (Constance Marie), sister and nun turned social activist
*Jimmy (Jimmy Smits), the ex-convict who witnessed his brothers murder by the police when he was a child
*Memo (Enrique Castillo), brother and UCLA lawyer
Chucho (Esai Morales), brother and pachuco who is shot dead by police after a deadly conflict with a rival gang member