Intersecting Identities in Social Justice Education: A Critical Discourse Analysis

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT025 (Thursday)

Abstract

This study explores how Graduate Teaching Assistants’ (GTAs) intersecting identities influence their understandings and enactments of social justice education within a predominantly white institution. Guided by Intersectionality as a Critical Social Theory (Collins, 2019) and Figured Worlds (Holland et al., 1998), the research employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how GTAs construct meaning through language. Data are drawn from semi-structured interviews focusing on identity and teaching practices. Preliminary findings reveal tensions between participants’ stated commitments to social justice and their classroom practices, shaped by factors such as race, socioeconomic background, and institutional context. This research contributes to understanding how teacher educators’ intersecting identities shape social justice pedagogies in higher education.

Author

• Franny Perez Ramirez, West Virginia University