2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Decolonization of Academia: Is the Word Latinx a Form of Colonization?

Presented at Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY) Technical Session 5

There has been debate for some years around the term Latinx and how members of the community identify with it. Originally, the term emerged in academia as a gender-neutral option to counter the term Latino/a or Latin@ and to try to establish a differentiation from the general term of Hispanic that many consider to not be representative of the community. However, the inclusion and adoption of the term has generated some debate. For example, members of the community have different views on if the term is applicable in a Spanish speaking context, in which cases some might advocate for the term Latiné as being the linguistically gender-neutral word created by those in Spanish speaking countries. Several studies have been conducted around the use and understanding of the term in different contexts, however, there has not been an extensive exploration of the topic in engineering.

The purpose of this work is to explore how engineering students -who identify as Latinx/a/o/é at a large research university engage with the term Latinx. We conducted a survey to ask students about their understanding and adoption of the term Latinx, their preferred term, and their familiarity with different terms such as Latin@, Latin*, Latinu, Latini, Hispano, etc. The survey was administered online and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to map students’ preferences and a thematic analysis approach to identify emerging themes in the open-ended questions (e.g., why do you identify (or not) with the term Latinx?)

Our results provide a better understanding of engineering students' perceptions around various identifying terms and we engage critically in a discussion of the importance of understanding how members of the community perceive themselves. We provide implications for research, practice, and administration.

Authors

Ms. Karen Dinora Martinez Soto http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7273-4666 Virginia Tech [biography]

Karen Martinez Soto is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She received her B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and her M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research interests are focused on teaching and assessment for conceptual understanding, curriculum development for the middle years, and student cultural competencies.
Dr. Homero Murzi http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3849-2947 Virginia Tech [biography]

Dr. Homero Murzi (he/él/his) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Homero is the leader of the Engineering Competencies, Learning, and Inclusive Practices for Success (ECLIPS) Lab where he leads a team focused on doing research on contemporary, culturally relevant, and inclusive pedagogical practices, emotions in engineering, competency development, and understanding the experiences of traditionally marginalized engineering students from an asset-based perspective. Homero’s goal is to develop engineering education practices that value the capital that traditionally marginalized students, bring into the field, and to train graduate students and faculty members with the tool to promote effective and inclusive learning environments and mentorship practices. Homero has been recognized as a Diggs Teaching Scholar, a Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence Fellow, a Global Perspectives Fellow, a Diversity Scholar, a Fulbright Scholar, a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, and was inducted into the Bouchet Honor Society. Homero serves as the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Chair for the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI), the Program Chair for the ASEE Faculty Development Division, and the Vice Chair for the Research in Engineering Education Network (REEN).
Ms. Jazmin Jurkiewicz Virginia Tech [biography]

Jazmin Jurkiewicz (she/they) is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She holds degrees in Chemical Engineering (B.S.) and Engineering - Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship (M.E.) from the University of Arizona. Their research interests include emotions in engineering, faculty development, mental health, and assets-based pedagogy.
Rene Alberto Hernandez Virginia Tech [biography]

René Hernandez, is a Salvadorean-American first-generation graduate student at Virginia Tech’s School of Education. He is pursuing his PhD in Higher Education with a cognate in Engineering Education. He has more than 10 years of K-12 and higher education experience which he leverages towards his pursuits of helping others find success in education. He has an evolving research agenda focused on pathways, policy, and how it shapes education and undergraduate engineering education, with specific attention to first-generation college students, low-income and immigrant populations. He loves running, books, anime, traveling, and food, especially when he gets to do it in the company of his husband Tommy and those he meets along the way!

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