adulthood.^66 In some underdeveloped societies the rite can involve a painful physical
experience, such as male or female circumcision, but in developed nations, the cere-
mony is usually less harsh and is often a festive event. The bar mitzvah, for instance,
is used to introduce Jewish boys into adulthood when they become more responsible
for religious duties. In Mexican culture, girls look forward to celebrating their fif-
teenth birthday with aquinceañera. This occasion is a means of acknowledging that
a young woman has reached sexual maturity and is now an adult, ready to assume
additional family and social responsibilities. In addition, the celebration is intended
to reaffirm religious faith, good morals, and traditional family values.^67 In the domi-
nant U.S. culture, rites of passage into adulthood are generally not as distinctive but
are often associated with the individual attaining a greater degree of independence or
“freedom.”^68 Graduation from high school or college, for example, brings increased
expectations of self-sufficiency and a new identity.
Once established, identities are enacted in multiple ways, beginning in childhood and
progressing through adolescence into the adult years. For instance, individuals in almost
every culture have ways of displaying their religious or spiritual identity. As we noted ear-
lier, many Jews wear yarmulkes or other distinctive clothes, and Christians frequently dis-
play a cross as an item of personal jewelry. As a display of humility, Muslim men often go
unshaven, which can also convey their religious identity. Some men and women wear a
red dot (pottu) on their forehead as a sign of their devotion to the Hindu religion. Male
adherents of Shikism commonly wear a turban and refrain from cutting their hair as part
of their devotion. Each of these outward symbols identifies the wearer as belonging to a
specific religious group and thus is a sign of both inclusion and exclusion.
Identity can also be evinced through involvement in commemorative events. The
Fourth of July in the United States, Bastille Day in France, and Independence Day in
Mexico are celebrations of national identity. The annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade
in New York City is an opportunity for people of Irish heritage to take pride in
their ethnic identity. Oktoberfest celebrations allow people to rekindle their German
identity, and the Lunar New Year is a time for the Chinese and many other Asian
cultures to observe traditions that reaffirm their identities.
While many customs of identity enactment are tradition-bound, evolving circum-
stances can bring about new ways. This type of change was discovered by David and
Ayouby’s study of Arab minorities in the Detroit, Michigan, area. They found that a
division existed between how early immigrants and later arrivals understood Arab
identity. Immigrants who arrived in the United States years earlier were satisfied
“with meeting and enacting their ethnicity in a ritualistic fashion by eating Arabic
food, perhaps listening to Arabic music, and even speaking Arabic to their limited
ability.”^69 The more recent Arab immigrant arrivals, however, had a“more politicized
identity,”^70 resulting from their experiences in the conflicts and political turmoil of
the Middle East. They felt that being an Arab involved taking a more involved role in
events in their native land, such as sending money back or becoming politically active.^71
There are certainly many more ways of establishing and evincing your identity
than we have discussed here. For instance, we did not address the obvious cultural
identity markers of language, accents, or
family names. But this overview should
convince you of the complexity of your
identities and how they are shaped by
culture.REMEMBER THIS
Increasing numbers of people are acknowledging multiple cul-
tural identities.260 CHAPTER 7•Culture and Identity: Situating the Individual
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