Nuestras voces resisten: Experiences of Chicanas/Latinas in the Pacific Northwest

Christina Torres Garcia

doi:10.7273/000006189

Contrary to research studies that operate within a traditional Eurocentric epistemological framework that sees the knowledge of students of color as inferior to the "norm," this study centers the life experiences of 10 Chicana/Latina college students from the Pacific Northwest. Utilizing LatCrit, Chicana epistemology and storytelling, this study unveils the hidden hegemonic narratives within the structures of society. LatCrit unveils the intersections of race/ethnicity, class, gender, and hidden systematic layers of oppression within the social and political structures. The metaphorical concept of La Glorieta illustrates the modus operandi of oppression that work cohesively to create a dynamic apparatus reproducing oppressive practices. These participants are not just powerless victims of the hegemony rooted in social and political structures, but individuals who seek emancipation by creating oppositional stands. Utilizing Chicana feminist epistemology, this study documents that Chicana'/Latina' critical ways of knowing are not deficits knowledge, but crucial survival mechanisms for negotiating hybrid identities and navigating intersecting borderlands of La Glorieta. This study illuminates oppositional agency, concepts of borderland subjectivity, and Mestiza consciousness revealing that despite the feelings of powerlessness, inferiority, and unworthiness, these Chicana/Latina students continue pursuing their academic goals. They are revered for managing to remain in higher education and excelling in their academic endeavors. Regardless of their success and achievements the participants appear to live in a constant state of negotiation, ambiguity, and contradicting loyalties. Fortunately, this difficult state is not immobilizing, rather, they are able to transcend internal borders and external social locations. Some tactics they use to motivate themselves include valuing education, the internalized commitment to prove "them" wrong, the commitment of bridging their communities with the academic world, and the sense of pride and appreciation for their heritage. This study recognizes the oppositional practices, the importance of education, claiming identities, the commitment of proving "them" wrong, maintaining one's language, and affirming one's culture as individual acts of resistance. Recognizing Chicana/Latina students' responses to different aspects of oppression, society gains important knowledge, helping transform society's perception of these groups from passive survivals to proactive agents of social change making valuable contributions to countering structural of oppression.

Nuestras voces resisten: Experiences of Chicanas/Latinas in the Pacific Northwest

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