Divided Humanity: Language, Mathematics, and Mexican Racialization in Southern California Schools

• In Event: Reckoning with histories of politics and racialization in STEM Education

Abstract

Previous research has examined race/racism in mathematics education, highlighting school mathematics as a racialized, hierarchical, and dehumanizing space. However, firsthand accounts of the long-term impacts of the status quo in mathematics education for racialized-Othered students are still rare, especially for multilingual learners. Drawing on Latinx critical theory (LatCrit), I examine my history with schooling and the roles mathematics and language played in my racialized identity development into an abject Mexican or honorary white. I exemplify these issues through my testimonio matemático—a narration of my experiences in mathematics education as a Mexican American K–12 and college student. Analysis of my testimonio revealed connections between racialization, language policies, mathematics classes, and hegemonic whiteness as fundamental aspects of my schooling experiences.

Author

• José Francisco Gutiérrez, University of Utah