“So where do I belong?:” the ethnic belonging of South American immigrants

Utilizing Sujey Vega’s framework of ethnic belonging, I analyze how South American—Argentine, Colombian, and Peruvian—immigrants in Ohio affirm their ethnic belonging in Ohio and the United States. Drawing on forty-three interviews with South American immigrant participants living in Ohio, I reveal how they merge aspects of U.S. nationalism, ethnic solidarity, their cultures of origin, and notions of belonging. These participants affirm their simultaneous belonging to parts of their country of origin and the United States, as well as local communities in Ohio. In confronting various forms of discrimination, such as xenophobia and Mexicanization, although not always, the participants claim a South American identity, panethnic identity, and ethnic solidarity. Additionally, these respondents claim an ethnic sense of belonging through characteristics of femininity and masculinity. I propose that South American immigrants living in a non-immigrant gateway location, such as Ohio, mostly affirm their ethnic solidarity and ethnic belonging differently by gender.