TRANSNATIONAL MASCULINITIES INTERSECTING: UNRAVELING THE TAPESTRY OF DOMINICAN IDENTITY WITHIN THE BARBERSHOP MICROCOSM. TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

Emmiyan Ferro Díaz

doi:10.7273/000007286

This ethnographic study examines two Dominican-owned Latinx barbershops in Tacoma, Washington, as vibrant cultural hubs for the Dominican and Latinx diaspora. These barbershops transcend their primary role as grooming spaces, evolving into places where cultural identity, community bonds, and expressions of masculinity are actively performed, contested, and reimagined. The lively sounds of bachata, the comforting scent of home-cooked meals, and the quick-fire exchanges in Spanish create an atmosphere that connects clients to their Latinx roots while fostering their adaptation to life in the Pacific Northwest. Grounded in the Critical Interpretivist framework and informed by contemporary literature on ethnic enclaves, this study explores how these barbershops nurture a sense of belonging and cultural continuity for marginalized communities. The barbershops serve as transnational spaces where traditions, cultural symbols, and communal gatherings unite, enabling Dominican and Latinx men to maintain their heritage and negotiate their identities far from home. They become sites of cultural resilience, where the diaspora finds a sense of home and community amid migration challenges. A key focus of the study is the role of the barbershop in shaping Latinx masculinities. In these spaces, barbers and clients navigate intersections of race, class, migration, and identity. They engage in conversations and social rituals that reflect traditional Dominican ideals of masculinity and their adaptation to U.S. societal norms. This interaction creates a fluid and adaptable form of masculinities rooted in their experiences in the Dominican Republic and their realities in the U.S., allowing them to redefine and reassert their identities in a new context. The research draws on in-depth interviews and field observations, focusing on twelve barbers, most of whom are Dominican. These barbers act as transnational links, maintaining connections between their lives in the United States and their homeland through regular travel, digital communication, and cultural practices that bridge both worlds. The study offers a nuanced understanding of Latinx barbershops as spaces where identity, heritage, and masculinity are preserved, actively produced, and celebrated. It emphasizes their crucial role in fostering resilience and adaptability within the Latinx community in the United States, highlighting the power of these cultural spaces to sustain a sense of identity and belonging.

TRANSNATIONAL MASCULINITIES INTERSECTING: UNRAVELING THE TAPESTRY OF DOMINICAN IDENTITY WITHIN THE BARBERSHOP MICROCOSM. TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

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