The (Dis)locations of Latina/o Studies: The Varied Institutional Struggles to Build Intentional Academic Spaces

The struggle to expand and transform academia for historically excluded populations and create a discipline that critically investigates issues relevant to them continues to challenge many colleges and universities in the 21st... [ view full abstract ]

The struggle to expand and transform academia for historically excluded populations and create a discipline that critically investigates issues relevant to them continues to challenge many colleges and universities in the 21st century. Observing a growing Latina/o population, many universities aim to become “Hispanic Serving Institutions,” gaining access to millions of federal dollars. While the potential to create new spaces in higher education may seem limitless, new challenges have emerged: Interdisciplinary and transgressive disciplines now contend with performance-based funding and assessment plans that reflect the growing corporate turn within academia. We contend that a new “war of position” can keep the mission of liberal arts alive in this era of neo-liberal expediency. Our panel thus maps different routes taken to institutionalize Chicana/o Latina/o Studies in the modern university.

The panel begins with Barrera’s exploration of building a Latina/o Studies curriculum founded on a community cultural wealth approach; she asks, “What are ways of writing and researching that draw upon students’ experiential knowledge in order to transform the academy?” At San Jose State University, the key has been locating institutional support for the mentoring that helps students cultivate intellectual identities that meshes with their personal identities. As a result, Latina/o Studies scholars model campus leadership that avoids reproducing existing inequities.

Gradilla’s presentation will be based on two case studies of rebuilding Chicana/o Studies and African American Studies during his time as chair of both departments. He will provide key advice on recruiting majors, hiring faculty, building a culture of tenure in the department, revising curriculum and making key collaborative partnerships.

Next, Vasquez takes us to the University of New Mexico, where Chicana and Chicano Studies has been an active academic program since 1970. During the recent recession, the program experienced notable setbacks. However, a group of faculty, staff, students and community members rallied to hire a permanent director to plan for future growth. Vasquez will discuss the collaborative steps taken by students, staff, faculty and community members in order to finally bring department status to Chicana/o Studies at UNM.

Meanwhile, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Revilla has incorporated Chicana/o Studies within other interdisciplinary formations. Gender and Sexuality Studies seeks to correct institutional neglect and devaluation of the study of women and gender in higher education. For students, this means learning how gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, physical ability, nationality and other social dimensions shape the material conditions of men’s and women’s lives all over the world. Revilla discusses how the curriculum introduces students to the relationship between feminist theories and women’s activism throughout history.

Tapia’s presentstion returns the focus to California, where community colleges are ground zero for the Latina/o educational pipeline. Tapia will discuss how the new California student equity funding may help students succeed and transfer to four-year universities. She will detail the struggles and successes of utilizing institutional funding to build academic programs, highlighting initiatives that dismantle the barriers that Latino and especially Latinas face at the community colleges.