Critical Literacy Across a Lifespan: A Narrative Life History Study With Mexican-American Seniors

• In Event: Analyzing Racial Colonialism and Power Relations From a Freirean Perspective

Abstract

This research aims to illuminate different ways that critical literacy is learned and applied by focusing on Mexican-American seniors who have gone through many changes in their lives,. This study essentially asks, how do Chicanos make sense of the world through their lived experiences? Utilizing a critical literacy theoretical framework, this work focuses on the narratives of two Chicano seniors who have developed methods of questioning, naming, and resisting frames of oppression over the course of their lives. Through narrative inquiry and analysis, three themes are presented that provide context for how Chicanos create outlets of joy, foster community in the face of oppression, and define success in their own terms.

Author

• Elena Marie Marquez, Chapman University