Engaging in Virtual Pláticas: From Our Kitchen Tables to Zoom

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 9:00 am
  In Roundtable Session: Collective Journeys in Qualitative Writing and Storying (Table 8)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and individual health problems resulted in our engagement in a research project conducted in a virtual rather than physical setting. Prior to the experience, our relationship had been primarily defined as advisor-student and teacher-student. The use of pláticas, and a shared Chicana feminist epistemology allowed us to form authentic relationships and build communal space. Throughout the study, we asked questions such as: How do we build community in the virtual space? How do we navigate issues of power and trust in this environment? What boundaries or walls do we encounter in the virtual space that limit engagement/relationships? In this session, we report on and theorize the use of plática methodology in a virtual space.

Authors

• Adriana Cardoso Reyes, Western Michigan University

• Regina L. Garza Mitchell, Western Michigan University

• Lisa R. Garcia, Western Michigan University