Educational Institutions as Sites of Struggle and Sites of Possibilities: Learning From Latina/Chicana Activist Educators

• In Event: Roundtable Session 45
  In Roundtable Session: Sites of Struggle and Possibility: Reflections, Lessons, and Tools From the Field

Abstract

Little is understood about the unique ways Latina/Chicana educators engage as activists and agents for change. Research into women’s studies, ethnic studies, and Chicana feminist studies alert us to the complex role that social context and the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity/race, and class play in the development of these educators’ foundational principles and theories for action. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven Latina/Chicana educators in the border region of San Diego County. A grounded theory approach to identify patterns emerging from the interview data was used to construct an analysis to discover why and how activism developed and influenced their leadership. Findings showed the evolution of activist identities and social justice leanings and the critical role of education.

Author

• Marcia C. Venegas-Garcia, California State University, San Marcos