This research combines personal experience and a literature review to explore the issue of duality of social positioning of Australian ethnic minority girls. Caught between the minority cultural values and the larger culture's values of girls' education and multiculturalism, the dualism causes conflict within many minority girls. Of particular concern is the notion of identity and the role it can play in transforming curriculum beyond the 'either/or' dilemma. Feminist theorization of identity, particularly that concerned with race and ethnicity, is examined. The exploration of this concept has three elements: (1) whether particular understanding of identity have progressive possibilities; (2) whether subordinated groups of students themselves place a high premium on identity; and (3) whether curriculum, in order to address the needs of such groups of students, must address identity formation specifically. (EH)