Latinas in the Figured World of Economics: Creating Identity and Agency

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Latinidad in Context

Abstract

Latina women are outnumbered in economics. This qualitative study aimed to understand how Latinas who graduated with master's degrees from three universities along the U.S.–Mexico border constructed their identities and positioned themselves as economists. Research findings were that Latinas’ positional identities as economists were shaped by socioeconomic factors, Latinas’ self-authored themselves through their agentic practices and activities, Latinas’ figurative identities as economists were shaped through dialogic processes. This study explored the structural and cultural supports or barriers they experienced in pursuing their professions as economists and how they positioned themselves after graduation.

Authors

• Cynthia Lee Gamez, El Paso Community College

• Christina Convertino, University of Texas - El Paso