Rethinking Public Sociology through the labor commitments of Chicana historians across generations

• In Event: Racial and Ethnic Minorities Section Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table Four: Racialized Politics and Activism within the United States and Latin America

Abstract

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 23 Chicana historians, this article builds on Michael Burawoy’s call for public sociology, demonstrating how Chicana historians engage in various forms of public and critical knowledge production while simultaneously navigating the constraints of academic institutions that limit their public impact. I find that these roles/their overall contributions can be captured via the following categories: 1) Disciplinary institutional builder, 2) Pedagogical institutional builder, 3) Public historian and 4) Critical historian. The first and second generation Chicana historians, whose seniority affords them greater institutional power, are more likely to occupy leadership positions that shape the future of Chicana/o studies. In contrast, the third generation of Chicana historians who do not have tenure, are concerned with a different set of politics that requires them to be strategic in and outside of their role as an academic. By drawing from the personal and educational experiences of these women at various stages of their careers, this study advances sociological understandings of institutional politics and highlights a multitude of reasons why a public sociology approach which is rooted in engaging the public with the act of knowledge production, is not always feasible.

Author

• Rosa Noriega, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor