I Am Enough: A Decolonial Journey of Conocimiento

• In Event: Decolonizing Pedagogies: Global Perspectives on Liberation, Literacy, and Learning

Abstract

Research on Latinx students studying abroad is minimal (Chang, 2017). As such, our primary research question is: What are the identity-oriented experiences of Latinx students of color on a short-term study abroad program? We use a decolonial (Anzaldúa, 2015; Gandhi, 1998, Mohanty, 2003; Pérez, 1999; Smith, 1999) theoretical perspective to frame our study. The overarching theme of decolonial journey of conocimiento is evidenced in the students’ experiences related to their feeling on the outside and to rebraiding and recasting their identities. Their journeys included personal shifts, feelings of being an outsider and ultimately, re-membering of self and re-connection to language, culture and identities. The findings from our study have implications for study abroad and higher education in general.

Authors

• Jyoti H. Kaneria, Georgia Institute of Technology

• G. Sue Kasun, Georgia State University

• Ethan Trinh, Georgia State University