I Can’t Relate to White People: Responses to Racial Microaggressions and Alienation among Latina/o Students

• In Event: 4412 - Section on Latino/a Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 04. Latina/o/xs, Racism, and Colorism

Abstract

Colleges and universities are more racially and ethnically diverse today than ever before. At the same time, stark disparities in graduation rates along racial lines persist. This paper examines the effects of “racial microaggressions” on Latinxs’ social relationships in college. While previous research has examined the important role of microaggressions in the negative social and academic experiences of students of color at predominantly white institutions, little has focused on the impact of these aggressions on friendships. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews with 46 respondents, this study revealed that Latina/o college students experienced microaggressions from white peers often resulting in “racial alienation,” that is, estrangement, as well as emotional and social distancing. Subsequently, respondents experienced what I term “racialized nonbelonging” on college campuses, causing them to create same-race spaces within the white space of their university.

Author

• David Orta, College of Wooster