Communal Praxis: Making Visible First-Generation Faculty and Administrators' Narratives of Race, Class, and Gender

• In Event: Tenure at What Cost? The Stories of Faculty of Color Striving for Success

Abstract

While the plight of first-generation students has garnered the attention of scholars, educators, and policy makers, there is limited inquiry into the educational/academic experiences of first-generation faculty and administrators (FGF/A) and how their experiences may contribute to creating and maintaining inclusive education environments. Moreover, there is a need for intersectional approaches that highlight how gender and race factor into a FGF/A member’s educational trajectory. To fill this gap in research, the current study used narrative analysis to examine the academic trajectories and storytelling of 15 FGF/A, whom are first-generation students who went on to become faculty and/or administrators. The analysis and discussion highlight how stories of mattering and intersectional marginality are sites of validation and collaborative praxis.

Author

• Rican Vue, University of California - Riverside