Reflexiones: Applying a Critical Bicultural Pedagogy in Student Affairs

• In Event: Solidarity of Difference: A Caring Discussion About Culture, Power, and New Traditions in Higher Education

Abstract

Objectives/Purposes: The purpose of this paper is to advocate for critical bicultural pedagogy (Darder, 1991) within higher education. There is a desperate need for staff, faculty, and administration to be trained in ways in which students’ biculturalism and intersecting identities are validated and accepted as part of their academic success in higher education. The paper focuses on Latina/o college students due to the author’s current role as a director of a University of California’s Chicano Latino Resource Center. The author purposefully writes about their role as a director because they have witnessed the lack of faculty and staff training in regard to the change of demographics in the student population. While the increase in the higher education participation of Latina/o students is something to be celebrated, this increase of representation has not translated into breaking down the pervasiveness of racism, homophobia, sexism, and xenophobia on campus. Thus, the paper outlines why and how a critical bicultural pedagogy is necessary to serve and teach bicultural students in higher education.
Perspective/Theoretical Framework: This paper is grounded in critical theory. “Critical theory is motivated by an interest in emancipation and is a philosophy of social practice linked to the struggle for the future” (Estrada, 2012). Critical theory (Darder 2012, 1991, Giroux 1991, 2009; Freire 1971) informs critical bicultural pedagogy which is used as a theory and as basis for the training that the author advocates for in this paper. Antonia Darder (1991) brings together six principles in comprising an effective critical bicultural pedagogy which will be discussed in length in the paper.
Method/s: A critical ethnographic methodology will be applied (Madison, 2004) to this paper. As described by Madison (2005) “Critical ethnography begins with an ethical responsibility to address processes of unfairness or injustice within a particular lived domain”. Furthermore, “This means the critical ethnographer contributes to emancipatory knowledge and discourses of social justice. Critical ethnography must further its goals from simply politics to the politics of positionality” (Madison, 2005).
Data Sources/Evidence/Objects or Materials: Data for this paper are drawn from the Pew Research Center, news media (L.A. Times), auto-ethnography, and personal narrative.
Results/Conclusions or Warrants for Arguments: There is a need to advocate for increased cultural competency training that responds to the changing demographics of the United States, specifically, California where much of the author’s data is drawn from. The author also calls for an increased practice of critical bicultural pedagogy in higher education circles, owing to its impact on bicultural students and critique on institutional ideologies.
Scientific or scholarly significance of the study (refer to data source, evidence or materials to substantiate on significance of study): This work is significant as there is little to no scholarly work published about the impact of cultural centers on the academic success of students. As Adele Lozano (2010) argues, “quantitative and qualitative studies must be conducted to provide evidence that Latina/o culture centers improve student involvement on campus, increase a sense of belonging, and increase student retention” (p. 19).

Author

• Judith Estrada, University of California - Santa Cruz