"You Just Want to Start Trouble": A Trenza of a Chicana Bilingual Maestra's Path Toward Conocimiento

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Teachers Beyond Borders: Languages, Learning, and Educator Identity

Abstract

Drawing on Chicana Feminist Epistemologies, we use trenzas as theory and method for unearthing Sonia’s activist trajectory. The trenza, or braid, consists of testimonio, cultural intuition, and confianza to weave together the complexity of Sonia's story from early life to her professional career. Through testimoniando, Sonia reveals the constraints and racism of white supremacy in schooling. Consistent with other literature on Chicanas, the findings demonstrate that women of color rely on their ancestral wisdom, spirituality, and extended networks of family and friends--or comadrazgo--to navigate and negotiate whitestream spaces in educational contexts.

Authors

• Katherine Espinoza, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

• Enrique David Degollado, University of Iowa