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This article describes passing for English fluent among Latino immigrant children. A two-year ethnography of eight Latino immigrant families was conducted in which fifth-grade children were followed in home, school, and community contexts. This article presents passing as a consequence of U.S. race relations. Their reasons for presenting themselves as English fluent suggest a sophisticated awareness of the power and status of English in this country and a clear link between language and identity. [bilingualism, English language learners, Latino students, identity]
In the United States, English holds greater power and status than minority languages, particularly Spanish. This becomes evident to immigrant families almost immediately upon arrival to the United States (Valdés 1996). Many Spanish-dominant children and adults often experience discrimination or prejudice because of their language and ethnicity (Evans 1996). Nondominant children are conscious of being "different" and feel pressure to "fit in" (Olsen 1997).
In this article we examine how some students cope with the stigma associated with lack of English proficiency in our society. Specifically, we examine the passing attempts of a small sample of Latino immigrant children. "Passing" here refers to the use of strategies to appear more competent in English than was actually the case. Our findings suggest that passing for English fluent may be both a strategy of selfpreservation and a form of resistance.
We draw on various theoretical frameworks to understand why students attempt to pass, how this practice reflects existing race relations, and how passing relates to children's developing identities and agency. We begin with Goffman's (1959) theory of passing that reveals the human need to see oneself and be seen in socially positive terms. We also draw on critical race theory (Solórzano 1998) to point out that passing for English fluent is yet another form of passing for white. Finally, we examine identity and agency from a Bakhtinian-sociohistoric perspective (Holland et al. 1998). From this perspective, children's passing strategies may both reflect and support identity development and agency. This framework allows for the dynamic and complex reality of both social and individual worlds that so often lead to "improvisations" (Holland et al. 1998). We present Latino children as creative and resourceful human beings who actively mediate their own psychological functions and their English-speaking world.
Passing and...