Syncretic ethnic identities in dilemmatic fields: Constructing and reconciling ethnic differences in schooling

This paper integrates dilemmatic field and dialogical self theory to explain ethnic identity as a temporal and cultural construct through shifts in I-positions. The integration of dilemmatic field and dialogical self theory foregrounds the contours of ethnic identity shifts. Such contours emerge in I-positions at multiple contextual levels when a person leverages and transcends supportive and conflicting collective voices, a developmental task representing the negotiation of social criteria in constructing identities. This paper exemplifies how cultural resources—enacted through encounters of cultural differences—contribute to movements in I-positions across institutions that contribute to the reconciliation of an outlier identity. This outlier identity, I propose, is a different but not necessarily a marginalized cultural position. With reference to a participant-produced visually-mediated narrative and thematic analysis, this paper unveils four I-positions mediated by experiences in a schooling trajectory. I conclude by proposing the theoretical implications of these I-positions that link dilemmatic field and dialogical self. I do so by offering clarity to the claim that identities are creative, adaptive, tensioned, transformed and reproduced temporally, thereby underscoring a syncretic I-position in culturally diverse institutional environments. Copyright © 2019 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.