Resilience and Struggle: Exploring the Experiences of Undocumented College Students Through Chicana Feminist Theory and Dialogical Performance

<p>In an increasingly hostile political and social climate undocumented students in the United States continue to struggle to find space for themselves within universities. This research project undertakes a goal of illuminating how undocumented students make sense of their experiences on university campuses despite facing difficult climates at their respective universities. A goal of this project is to better understand how the experiences of undocumented students are shaped in contrast to institutional policies. Universities with inclusive excellence policies, a new iteration of multicultural diversity policies, intended to create practices that make college campuses more inclusive spaces.</p> <p>The perspectives of undocumented students are examined through interviews conducted from dialogical performance and Chicana feminist perspectives. Dialogical performance from the perspective of Dwight Conquergood as a method is bridged with Chicana feminist theories of Gloria Anzaldua, theories of <em>Nepantla</em>, <em>New Tribalism</em>, <em>Spritual Activism</em>, and the<em> Coyolxauhqui Imperative</em>, are bridged to. The bridging of these concepts heeds the calls by Chicana feminists to create a more inclusive research process and to develop anticolonial scholarship. Through these perspectives this project sheds light on the experiences of undocumented students on university campuses, specifically the challenges they face and their strategies for overcoming difficult situations.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Juarez, Sergio Fernando

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bernadette M. Calafell, Ph.D.
• Kate Willink
• Erin Willer
• Debora Ortega

• Chicana feminism
• Coyolxauhqui
• Dialogical performance
• Reflexive methodology
• Undocumented students
• Chicana/o Studies
• Communication
• Latina/o Studies

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1350

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-2350