Dissertation
Pushing Back and Moving Forward: A Qualitative Examination of Latinx Young Adults Navigating Higher Education in an Anti-Immigrant Climate
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005149
Abstract
Since the launch of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in June 2015, the United States has experienced a resurgence of openly permissible racial hostility, political violence, and social dysfunction. Among the ramifications for various marginalized communities since Trump emerged into the political realm, is the increase of individualized and systemic violence against immigrants and Latina/o/x people. This book-length dissertation examines the influence of an increasingly hostile sociopolitical climate on young Latinx adults’ college experience and identity development during the transition to adulthood. This study bridges sociological, educational, and Chicana Feminist theoretical frameworks to analyze the structural factors of socioeconomic status, access to and availability of financial resources, and the countless experiences of institutional discrimination experienced by Latina/o/x children of immigrants attending a historically white university in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. By taking a critical Chicana feminist approach to analyzing in-depth interviews and ethnographic data, this dissertation presents a scholarly contribution to sociological methodologies and understandings of the transition to adulthood, highlighting the centrality of interdependency and community-building as key to young Latinxs’ experience. The findings of this research illuminate the influence and impact of racial/ethnic group connectedness as a vital component of processes of young adult identity development, especially amidst institutional barriers to belonging. The results present avenues for institutions of higher education to work towards creating a less hostile and more inclusive environment for students of color on college campuses. The impact of this historical context on how Latinxs see and understand themselves, their positionality in this world, and how it will shape their future outcomes, is pertinent to the continued creation of knowledge and building a more equitable society.
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Details
- Title
- Pushing Back and Moving Forward
- Creators
- Marisa V. Cervantes
- Contributors
- Monica K Johnson (Advisor)Jennifer Sherman (Committee Member)Ashley Boyd (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 280
- Identifiers
- 99901019938001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation