"The Spaces in Between": Exploring Second-generation Youth Identity: A Case Study of Bangladeshi-Canadian Youth in Toronto

Abstract

<p>This study explores the experiences of second-generation Bangladeshi-Canadian youth when it comes to identity construction and their sense of belongingness. Through interviews with three Bangladeshi-Canadian youth (ages, 18-24), this study sought out to answer the primary research questions: (i) What elements of their social identities are important to the secondgeneration Bangladeshi-Canadian youth in the GTA? (ii) Do they identify with hybrid or hyphenated identities? (iii) To what extent does discrimination or exclusion either from the Bangladeshi or Canadian community influences the formation of their identities? The analysis suggests that Bangladeshi-Canadian youth identify with a hyphenated identity in which they have constructed through several influences they have experienced inside of their homes and ethnic cultures, and outside within the dominant Canadian society. Youths' hybrid identities exemplify their skilled abilities to navigate between two dominant cultures, shifting their identities when necessary, and creating their own definitions of identity in the spaces between.</p>