Neoliberalism in the Academy: Exploring Latinx Oral Histories From an Ongoing Archival Project

• In Event: New Directions in the History of Higher Education

Abstract

Concerns over equity for Latinx staff and faculty pre-date the pandemic. COVID-19 publications discussing higher education are limited and primarily focus on student experiences. Through this critical narrative analysis, neoliberalism is used as a framework to examine nine oral histories of Latinx staff and faculty during this unprecedented time. This paper illuminates how COVID-19 has intensified already apparent inequities and exploitative working conditions. These oral histories are part of a larger ongoing oral history project in partnership with several institutions around the country to document, democratize, and archive the lived experiences of Latinx communities during this historic global pandemic.

Author

• Jacqueline Pedota, University of Texas at Austin