2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Within the landscape of U.S. education, the roots of deficit thinking have been deeply intertwined with racialized discourses driven by economic and colonial interests. American exceptionalism, in particular, led to the emergence of sociopolitical forces that negatively impacted the education of Latinos/as/xs in the U.S. Southwest. For example, Latinos/as/xs in the U.S. Southwest saw the dispossession of their land, their language, and eventually their access to education (San Miguel, 1999; Valenzuela, 2010). This historical context continues to reverberate within engineering education today. After years of efforts in broadening the participation of Latinos/as/xs in engineering spaces, ongoing inequities in access to engineering education continues to persist. Thus, it is important to analyze the how these sociopolitical forces still impact Latino/a/x engineering students by centering on the counternarratives of those impacted the most. Borderlands research (Anzaldúa, 1987) delves into the origins of these sociopolitical forces to unravel the ways in which deficit ideologies and racialized discourses have profoundly influenced the lived experiences of students.

In this paper, I draw from the concept of Nepantla, a stage developed within Anzaldúa's Borderlands theory and conocimiento (Anzaldúa, 1987), to analyze how Latino/a/x engineering students negotiate complex social dynamics while inhabiting dual spaces in response to institutional biases. Nepantla exemplifies the liminal realms where intersections give rise to new meanings and where multifaceted identities emerge. Through the lens of Nepantla, I explore the experiences of Latino/a/x engineering students at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs as they navigate the convergence of diverse cultures, languages, and their reconciliation with often disparate and conflicting identities, as well as the instances of racialization they constantly encounter in engineering.

This paper was guided by the question: What sociopolitical factors impact Latino/a/x engineering students’ entry, persistence, or departure from their pathways as they navigate engineering spaces? This paper focuses on a multi-case study (Stake, 2013) involving 4 Latinos/as/xs at an emerging HSI in California. The dataset comprised pláticas (Delgado Bernal et al., 2012; Guajardo & Guajardo, 2013) collected through a period of 3 years. Pláticas included questions about their childhood and adolescent experiences, familial values, support systems, and their student experiences within the K-16 educational pathway. The pláticas– embedded within critical reflections rooted in specific students’ sociopolitical realities–were transcribed and analyzed using NVivo 12. Data analysis involved inductive and deductive coding, where codes were subsequently organized into thematic clusters to reveal commonalities among the pláticas.

The findings of the data analysis underscore the profound impact of sociopolitical factors with historical ties to racist discourse. These factors present various challenges that have hindered students on their engineering journeys. Challenges encompass issues such as reconciling ethnic and engineering identities, negotiating access to minority programs, and navigating perceptions of race and gender, all while harnessing the ability navigate spaces where they are constantly seen as transgressors.

Anzaldúa, G. (1987). Borderlands: la frontera (Vol. 3). Aunt Lute.
Delgado Bernal, D., Burciaga, R., & Flores Carmona, J. (2012). Chicana/Latina testimonios: Mapping the methodological, pedagogical, and political. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45(3), 363-372.
Guajardo, F., & Guajardo, M. (2013). The power of plática. Reflections, 13(1), 159-164.
San Miguel, G. J. (1999). The schooling of Mexicanos in the Southwest 1848-1891. In J. F. Moreno (Ed.), The elusive quest for equality : 150 years of Chicano/Chicana education (pp. 31-45). Harvard Educational Review.
Stake, R. E. (2013). Multiple case study analysis. Guilford press.
Valenzuela, A. (2010). Subtractive schooling: US-Mexican youth and the politics of caring. State University of New York Press.