Christianities and the Construction of Latinx Ethnoracial Identities

This chapter offers a framework of ethnoracial identity formation that emphasizes the historical factors linking Latin American religions and Latinx ethnoracial identity. The chapter explores how Catholicism in particular, and other forms of Christianity in general, historically function in an inculturated manner within Latinx communities. The chapter presents Latinx ethnoracial identities as involving ongoing negotiations that are both macro-level and micro-level social processes; identities are deeply personal in one sense, and highly imposed by external forces in another. The chapter also explores the particular social dynamics of Latinx identity negotiation. These dynamics do not pertain to individual Christian traditions, but rather manifest variably across Christian traditions. The analyses offered in this chapter suggest directions for further inquiry for researchers of Christianity and Latinx identity formation.