U.S. Latina Students' Raciolinguistic Identities in Hegemonic School Systems: A Cross-Case Analysis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding Carceral Histories of Youth to Interrogate Identities Positioned in Deficit Discourses

Abstract

A robust understanding of how U.S. school systems influence the raciolinguistic identities of Latinx students can be a powerful path in fostering positive and agentive Latinx identities that work toward a flourishing future. In this cross-case study, the authors investigated the raciolinguistic identities of three Latinas entering young adulthood. Data methods include a language survey, semi-structured interviews, pláticas, and observations over three years. Findings demonstrate how the participants express and negotiate their identities across the five components of a raciolinguistic perspective providing theoretical nuance for researchers and implications for educators in similar contexts. Across cases, intersectionality and connections to greater social movements are especially evident. Though less saturated, the co-naturalization of race and language was the most emotionally-laden component.

Authors

• Alexandra Babino, Texas A&M University - Commerce

• Mandy Stewart, Texas Woman's University