Decolonizing Minds: The Experiences of Latina Mexican American Studies Majors at a Predominately White University

• In Event: Roundtable Session 79
  In Roundtable Session: Power, Agency, and Success in the Secondary and Postsecondary Lives of Latina/o Students

Abstract

The recent attacks on ethnic studies programs both in Arizona with house bill 2281 and locally at the University of Central Texas serve as an urgent call to address how ethnic studies programs impact the educational trajectories of students. Therefore, this study addressed the following question: In what ways does being a Mexican American Studies major influence the experiences of Latinas at a predominately White institution? Using Gloria Anzaldúa’s (1987) concept of the borderlands and Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth model as theoretical perspectives, the author conducted a thematic analysis of six in depth interviews and a focus group with six Latina undergraduates. Findings suggest that Mexican American Studies represents a site or process of reclaiming and redefining.

Author

• Alma Itze Flores, University of California - Los Angeles