It’s Capital! Understanding Latina/o Presence in Higher Education

Abstract

Latina/o educational differentials have been studied predominantly from a deficit standpoint that emphasizes a lack of cultural capital. More recently, researchers began to reject this deficit perspective, foregrounding instead the cultural capital that enables Latina/o students to succeed academically. The very idea that Latina/o students possess cultural capital is new to higher education, which has historically undervalued Latina/o student experience and community history. Cultural capital, however, plays a crucial role in Latina/o student academic achievement. The authors’ study of junior- and senior-level Latina/o students attending a primarily White four-year research university in the Midwest examines Latina/o community cultural wealth, particularly with regard to navigating the academy. The authors also suggest institutional changes to develop policies that address Latina/o student presence from a capital rather than a deficit perspective.

Racial Expropriation in Higher Education: Are Whiter Hispanic Serving Institutions More Likely to Receive Minority Serving Institution Funds?

“…How funding is distributed within HSIs shapes opportunities for millions of underrepresented students. Despite advances in sociological and higher education scholarship on HWCUs and MSIs (Allen et al 2007; Allen and Jewell 2002; Ayala and Contreras 2018; Brunsma, Brown, and Placier 2012; Contreras, Malcolm, and Bensimon 2008; Cuellar 2014; Garcia 2016, 2017; Garcia et al 2016; Gasman, Baez, and Viernes 2008; Maestas, Vaquera, and Zehr 2007; Núñez, Hurtado, and Galdeano 2015; Torres and Zerquera 2012), systematic analyses of racialized higher education funding and the types of colleges it is allocated to has gone underexamined (but see Ortega et al 2015; Vargas and Villa-Palomina 2018).…”

Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“…Departing from a White-supremacists approach to social work education in which the lived experiences of minoritized communities are poorly understood -most often through a culturally competent framework (Almeida et al, 2019) -the LLI proposes a counternarrative understanding to social work with Latinxs based on Latinxs' cultural capital (Ayala & Contreras, 2018;Yosso, 2005). Cultural capital is the knowledge, skills, and values that allow people to successfully navigate social institutions (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977).…”

“…A white supremacy approach to social work understands Latinxs' underperformance in education as a deficit-based perspective that places the responsibility in the individual rather than in systemic inequities. Unfortunately, this deficit-based perspective of Latinxs in higher education permeates much of the educational policy and practices across the U.S. (Ayala & Contreras, 2018).…”

Turning Adversity into Capitals among Low Income First Generation Students of Color: Exploring Interdependence of Multiple Capitals

“…For example, low income www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/jecs various programs to attract and meet the needs of first-generation, ethnic minority students. Some researchers (e.g., Ayala, 2019;Birani & Lehmann, 2013) even viewed racial minority background as a gainful capital. Ayala (2019) asserted that a minority background can function as a capital because their sense of pride and empowerment associated with their racial and ethnic group is used as a catalyst to succeed.…”

“…Some researchers (e.g., Ayala, 2019;Birani & Lehmann, 2013) even viewed racial minority background as a gainful capital. Ayala (2019) asserted that a minority background can function as a capital because their sense of pride and empowerment associated with their racial and ethnic group is used as a catalyst to succeed. Bottrel's (2009) research supported this by showing how poverty becomes a form of capital as the youths collectively transform poverty into opportunity and develop resilience through peer networking and extraordinary bonding amongst members.…”