Naming and Claiming a Critical Race Feminista Methodology

• In Event: Crossing Boundaries and Blending Methodologies: Innovations in Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies

Abstract

Like other scholars, we have worked toward a merging and alignment of critical race theories and Chicana feminist thought in our scholarship. The braiding of these theories has provided us with a methodology that is guided by an awareness of permanent, indestructible racism and simultaneously embraces a constant state of in-betweenness, contradictions, and liminality. This methodological approach brings an anticolonial perspective that disrupts the claimed neutrality of the research process, encourages collaboration between researchers and participants, and necessitates authentic engagement. In order to offer a conceptualization of a critical race feminista methodology in educational research, we first braid principles of critical race theory with some of the analytical tools of Chicana feminist theories. We explain how these theoretical foundations can collectively inform specific research strategies based on concepts such as shared vulnerability and cultural intuition. Finally, we offer applied examples of critical race feminist methodologies from our own research with undocumented women, young Chican@s, and community-engaged partnerships.

Authors

• Dolores Delgado Bernal, California State University - Los Angeles

• Lindsay Perez Huber, California State University - Long Beach

• Maria C. Malagon, California State University - Fullerton