Award Date

12-15-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Committee Member

Tara McManus

Second Committee Member

Laura Martinez

Third Committee Member

Jeffrey Child

Fourth Committee Member

Dmitri Shalin

Number of Pages

104

Abstract

As individuals adjust to their belonging to two distinct cultures, there are various ways of adapting to their navigation of the two cultures (Berry, 1980). The way(s) an individual chooses to adjust to their two cultures can have varying effects on identity. When directly translated, chisme (Spanish) means gossip. Although the two include overlap in function and uses, chisme offers unique purposes for the Latinx community and further, Latina-Americans (González Ybarra & Player 2024; Gutierrez, 2017; Uribe, 2025). By using the communication theory of identity (Hecht, 1993) the purpose of this thesis was to investigate the role of chisme and gossip on Latina-American women’s identities, as well as how the differences between the two can lead to the formation of identity gaps (Jung & Hecht 2004, 2008). Sixteen semi-structured interviews with Latina-American women were conducted and then analyzed using a phronetic iterative approach (Tracy, 2020). The findings revealed that chisme was salient in their layers of identity, most notably in their communal layer of identity, while gossip was not. Three identity gaps emerged in the data. Theoretical and practical implications regarding chisme and Latinx populations were discussed.

Controlled Subject

Culture; Latin Americans; Group identity

Disciplines

Communication | Latin American Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences

File Format

PDF

File Size

2300 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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