Selective Expressions of Portugueseness: Notions of Portugueseness among Second Generation Portuguese-Canadian Youth in Toronto

It has been noted that very little literature on second generation Portuguese-Canadian youth exists (Nunes 1986, Noivo 1997, Oliveira and Teixeira 2004, Trindade 2007). This study aims to build upon this by focusing on the social construction of what it means to be Portuguese in Toronto for second generation Portuguese-Canadian youth. This is an exploratory, qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 8 Portuguese-Canadian (Torontonian) youth. This study found, among other things that these Portuguese-Canadians, while very aware of the stereotypes often associated with Portuguese youth in Toronto, distanced themselves from them and selectively constructed Portugueseness based on a medley of positive and symbolic elements. I attribute this ability to actively select positive images and distance themselves from negative ones to this (small and non-representative) sample’s above-average levels of education. This finding and hypothesis suggest the need for future research to further explore the role of changing/increasing levels of education among Portuguese-Canadian youth.