The Way I See It:” Middle Class Latinxs’ Engagement with Intersectionality

• In Event: 1113 - Intersectionality

Abstract

The idea that inequality and privilege do not operate independently of each other and that our experiences of them are shaped by the interplay of our multiple social locations is generally regarded as a constitutive and guiding approach in struggles for social justice. This paper contributes to our understanding of intersectionality as a strategy for advancing social justice by considering the relationship between social mobility and intersectional perspectives. Based on analysis of interview data, I examine how and why Latinxs who grew up in poor and working class families, but who are now middle class, engage ideas about intersectionality. Key questions I explore include: What are 1.5 and second-generation Latinxs’ understandings of intersectionality?When are ideas of intersectionality drawn upon and for what purpose? And how do their experiences of upward mobility inform their recognition and/or naming of intersectional issues? Limited scholarship exists on U.S. middle class Latinxs. The experiences and perspectives of Latinxs who have experienced a shift in their social class location offers an opportunity to gain further insight on social processes that may facilitate as well as hinder the development and application of intersectional strategies for advancing social justice efforts.

Author

• Lorena Garcia, University of Illinois at Chicago