Cruising Into the Classroom: Lowriding as Pedagogical Practice

• In Event: Culturally Relevant and Responsive K–12 Teaching

Abstract

Lowriding culture has a history and presence in the United States that originates from the Mexican-American experience, primarily the Zoot Suiters, or Pachucos of Los Angeles, CA in the 1940s. Since then, lowriding has grown within the U.S. and now flourishes as a global phenomenon. Lowriders are used in gangsta rap videos, movies, and commercials in mainstream media, and they are largely depicted as a criminal element. Synthesizing lowriding’s origins, autoethnography, funds of knowledge, and narrative inquiry, there exists an opportunity to establish and utilize lowriding as a pedagogical framework to engage BIPOC students. Through transformative action research, this exploratory study attempts to frame lowrider pedagogy as a new and viable possibility in the classroom and beyond.

Author

• John Ulloa, San Francisco State University
  Presenting Author