Reimagining Belonging in Higher Education: A Conceptual Framework for Latinx Undocuqueer Student Belonging

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Living Liminality: Navigating Belonging, Resistance, and Care in Immigrant Educational Journeys

Abstract

We advance a conceptual framework for fostering belonging among Latinx Undocuqueer students in higher education. Drawing on Undocumented Critical Theory (UndocuCrit), we explore how intersecting systems of oppression—such as immigration status, gender, and sexuality—shape students’ college experiences. Through a synthesis of research on undocumented Latinx students, LGBTQ+ students, and belonging in higher education, we outline five key tenets: Endemic fear, intersectional liminality, parental and chosen family as capital, acompañamiento, and visibility as resistance. Our proposed framework of Latinx Undocuqueer Student Belonging expands UndocuCrit to offer institutions strategies to support and affirm students. Ultimately, we reimagine belonging as a relational and political process rooted in care, justice, and resistance.

Authors

• Sonny Partola, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

• Beatriz Trejo, University of Utah