Social Identities - AY

Oftentimes, the identities that we believe to have the most profound impact on our lives are those that make us marginalized in the community to which we are apart. These are the qualities that we think about most frequently, as they are the ones that inhibit our ability to live a normal and happy life. They appear to shape our lived experiences more than anything else, as they are what we think about most.

When evaluating my identity and how it has shaped my lived experiences, the first aspect that comes to mind is my religion. Jews have a history of persecution all around the world, and facing anti-Semitism is definitely something that has impacted my life. I grew up in a Jewish household, where Jewish values and customs were incredibly important to our family. Going to public school with many non-Jews, I frequently found myself explaining the culture and holidays of my religion to those who were interested. To them, Judaism was always something they were aware of, but knew nothing about. I was happy to expose them to this culture.

This aspect of my identity will shape my experience in Zambia in a unique way. Zambia’s official religion is Christianity, and in 2010, 85.5% of the population identified as Christian. While listening to stories from previous Zambia GSL participants, it is apparent that Christianity is a very important part of the lives of nearly every host family. My Zambia homestay will be the longest period of time in my life that I’ll be living with predominantly non-Jews, fully immersed in a religion that is different from my own. This is something that I am both excited and nervous to experience. While I have many friends in high school and at Cornell who are not Jewish, I have always benefited from being able to return home every night, or over school breaks, to a Jewish family. When in Zambia, I won’t be able to rely on this sense of shared culture that comes from religion. However, I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing. I anticipate being asked many questions about my religion, which I am looking forward to. Zambia has much more religious homogeneity than America, which means that their exposure to Jewish culture and customs will be much more limited. I am excited to share my religion with this community and to learn about their experiences with Christianity.

While Judaism has certainly impacted my life in many ways, it would be ignorant to say that my race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status have not contributed to my lived experiences in dramatic forms. As a white, straight, male from an upper-middle class family, I have benefited from these privileged aspects of my identity. When adapting to certain situations, it is critical that I become increasingly aware of these privileges and how they change in different settings. I must always evaluate how my identities are perceived in the community around me and adapt my behaviors and outlook accordingly. By checking my privilege as frequently as possible, I will benefit from this heightened awareness in whichever communities I am adapting to.

I believe that my access to education is perhaps the most salient component of my social identity that shapes the power that I have as a global citizen. As a student at Cornell, I have the benefit of world-class resources and opportunities, including this GSL program. On campus, I am exposed to a variety of different perspectives that have impacted to my world-view and contribute to a global community that I am apart of. It is important that I recognize that my access to education is one of the most valuable privileges that I have, and that I am grateful and cognizant of it while in Zambia.

In terms of which aspects of my identity I think will be most apparent in Zambia, it is clear that my race will be most obvious. This will be the first time that I will be living in an environment where the majority of citizens are not White, which will be both unique and meaningful. I am looking forward to being part of a culture where I might not be the most “typical,” and growing from that experience.