Undocumented and Struggling to Earn a Degree: A Case Study of Neoliberalism at the Community College Level

• In Event: 33.079 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 33.079-15 - Race, Ethnicity, and Emerging Identities

Abstract

Drawing on the emerging field of Critical University Studies, this paper uses the neo-liberalization of higher education as a frame through which to understand the experiences of undocumented students enrolled in California community colleges. I argue these experiences illuminate the ways in which neoliberal logic has permeated higher education and how this disproportionally impacts low-income students. This paper examines the manifestations of 2 central features of neo-liberalism - privatization and disinvestment from the public sector - within the context of the community college system and examines the way this shapes the educational trajectory of marginalized students. This ethnography draws on the experiences of undocumented community college students to reveal what is at stake in this moment in higher education.

Author

• Genevieve Negron-Gonzales, University of San Francisco