Braiding Together Critical Race Feminista Participatory Action Research: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations

• In Event: Critical Race Feminista Methodologies in Educational Research

Abstract

Purpose and Theoretical Framework
Critical race feminista methodologies have been described as a form of braiding of theories, methodologies, identities, and experiences (Delgado Bernal & Alemán Jr., 2017; Pérez Huber, 2021). In this article, I refer to this metaphorical braid, to make trenzas, as I discuss conceptual and methodological considerations for the design and implementation of critical race feminista participatory action research (CRF-PAR) projects in higher education. I will share theoretical considerations of critical race feminista praxis and methodologies and offer considerations for areas of expansion for CRF. I also give an overview of the social justice and liberatory origins of participatory action research and examples of other “braided” approaches of PAR that help inform CRF-PAR.

Methods and Findings
This paper draws on pláticas from a qualitative longitudinal study centered around a Latina research collective focused on a undergraduate Latina mentoring program at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI; Carales & Lopez, 2020). Throughout the study, we have centered themes of CRT, such as intersectionality (López, Honey, Pérez-Gill, 2022), and Chicana feminist epistemology (Carales & Lopez, 2020; López et al., 2021). Reflecting on this project presents an opportunity to share not only about this work as it occurred through an explicit Chicana feminist PAR (CFPAR) approach, but also to imagine what could be possible through a CRF-PAR project. Torre (2009) in writing about PAR and CRT said that along with challenging hierarchical models of research, “the nature of participation is also inherently political and must always be interrogated along lines of social dynamics of power” (p. 112). Being cognizant about this dynamic of power, we often had open and honest conversations about each of our roles and what this meant for our engagement at the institution, in the project and in the mentoring program. In this paper I will share some of the moments that stood out in these pláticas as examples of CRF-PAR: 1) how the collective was a space not only to affirm our standing as Latinas in the academy, but also a place where navigational capital was exchanged (Yosso, 2005); 2) the research space as a culture site for critical pedagogy (Torres, 1992) where we made sense of the dominant narratives that are pervasive about Latinas and Chicanas in higher education; and 3) how the research collective was a transformative rupture (Delgado Bernal & Alemán, 2018) that fostered validation for Latinas on campus.

Scholarly Significance and Implications
This article has implications for future PAR studies in education that explicitly center elements of CRF. This study focused on Latinas in an HSI and who were part of a Latina mentoring program, but there are so many other possibilities for how CRF-PAR can be used within and outside of higher education. For example, K-12 education experienced the pedagogical backlash (Gutiérrez et al., 2002) in recent years as well and there is important resistance work happening in youth and community spaces. CRF-PAR can be a way to document this and at the same time provide the action this moment necessitates more of.

Author

• Ruth María López, University of Arizona