Abstract
The developmental competency of ethnic-racial identity development is salient in contexts where there is an ethnoracial hierarchy and society is characterized by an inequitable distribution of power and access to resources that functions according to this hierarchy. Colombia, given its history of colonization, represents one such context. As such, the current study explored Colombian adolescents’ awareness of ethnoracial-based inequities based on individual interviews with a socioeconomically diverse sample of 24 youth (M
age = 14.92, SD = 0.93) in Medellín, Colombia. Utilizing reflexive thematic analysis to explore adolescents’ perceptions of ethnoracial inequities in their immediate and more distal settings, findings indicated that adolescents perceived ethnoracial inequities in various contexts and their perceptions in more proximal settings seemed to vary by socioeconomic background. Across socioeconomic groups, adolescents were highly aware of ethnoracial inequities in Colombia. However, awareness of ethnoracial inequities was less prevalent in school settings and more limited in neighborhood contexts, particularly among those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Furthermore, whereas adolescents’ observations frequently touched on themes of anti-blackness and anti-indigeneity, their discussions about reasons for inequities did not explicitly name critical perspectives on race or systemic racism. Finally, most participants expressed the belief that having conversations about ethnoracial inequities was important, especially with peers and their families.