Intragroup Diversity

Essentializing and Intragroup Diversity

Essentializing results when particular characteristics of a group are emphasized and others are ignored or not acknowledged. Unlike essentializing, which focuses attention on one or two overarching characteristics of a group, the recognition of intragroup diversity focuses on the nuanced and layered understanding of group characteristics. For example, the recognition of intragroup diversity highlights the extent to which the characteristics of a group are contextual. At times certain characteristics are muted and at other times they are magnified.

Language, which is frequently associated with a particular ethnic group, is an example of a characteristic that can fluctuate in terms of when and how it is used. An essentialized view of Mexican Americans may suggest that all Mexican Americans speak Spanish. That perspective, however, ignores the fact that Mexican Americans writers such as like Linda Chavez are strong advocates of English initiatives and programs. It also does not acknowledge Mexican Americans who do not normally speak Spanish in public settings, but will speak it when they are at family gatherings or with members of the Mexican American community. For these individuals, speaking Spanish is a way to connect with the community by signaling their Mexican American identity.

Countering essentializing with an understanding of intragroup diversity is important because essentialism frequently forms the basis for what people think about members of a group. In a study on ethnic categories, Francisco J. Gil-White found that when ethnic groups are essentialized, salient characteristics associated with the group are magnified and other characteristics are ignored or given less attention. In addition, Rebecca S. Bigler and Julie Milligan Hughes found that essentializing and other related processes play a role in young children becoming prejudiced. Acknowledging differences within a group can help counterbalance essentializing.

Stratification and Intragroup Diversity

Social stratification is reflected in U.S. society in terms of race, ethnicity, social class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other differences. Intragroup diversity helps reveal a complex understanding of social stratification by highlighting the extent to which factors associated with stratification are dynamic and intersecting and are not static and monolithic. Milton Gordon coined the [Page 1273]term ethclass in his seminal book, Assimilation in American Life, to explain the interaction of ethnicity and social class, two major variables of social stratification. Gordon theorized that ethnicity and social class created commonalities that could be defined by the intersection of these two social characteristics. Intragroup diversity highlights that idea and provides a basis for examining the intersection of numerous social characteristics and reveals new perspectives on them.

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