Transitioning From Doctoral Study to the Academy: Theorizing Trenzas of Identity for Latina Sister Scholars

Abstract

This article focuses on multiple truths pertaining to doctoral education as expressed by three Latina doctoral recipients. These scholars successfully navigated various educational processes with the support of one another, their families, faculty, and their chosen discipline. The authors, as sister scholars, retell their educational journeys through testimonio and analyze how their trenzas de identidades multiples (multiple strands of identity, that is, motherhood, social class, and public intellectual) now inform their work. By interrogating the extent to which intersections of identity affect educational and career pathways, the authors use plática (dialogue) to theorize their doctoral experiences and examine how their challenges and successes manifest in their professional lives in academia.

Feminism as a Tool to Connect Latinas to Graduate Psychology Training

“…The authors hypothesized that the title of 'feminist' may not resonate with many Latinas whilst feminist values and practices are in line with these women's belief systems. Given these findings, it is paramount that programs build on feminist values known to be important to Latinas, like valuing women's work and advocating for equal rights, while also highlighting women's abilities to contribute positively to their family and community needs (Espino, Munoz, & Marquez Kiyama, 2010). Such efforts will likely facilitate Latinas' interest in the field of psychology and their retention once in graduate programs.…”

“…Counter-storytelling for Latinas supports self-preservation because women share stories and recognize a shared oppression tied to their ethnic, racial and gender identity as Latinas (Rodriguez, 2006) and provides an opportunity for Latinas to 'unmask' themselves and with a series of narratives, "build consensus, a common culture of shared understandings" (p. 1070) of their experiences as Latinas in academia. For example, Espino, Munoz, and Marquez Kiyama (2010) used CRT to frame their postgraduate school "platicas" (i.e., informal group conversations), reflecting on their educational journeys and analyzing how their multiple strands of identity, such as motherhood, social class, and public intellectual figure inform their lives in academia and assist in disseminating their shared knowledge through scholarship.…”

Mexican American Social Workers’ Perceptions of Doctoral Education and Academia

“…The second-level analysis of the data therefore consisted of identifying deeper meanings underlying the themes and patterns in the within-group and cross-group analysis. Due to the interconnections observed in the data, a braided analysis (Espino, Muñoz, & Kiyama, 2010) approach was applied to the data, bringing the themes together into a coherent whole that represents the experience related by the participants. The research team enhanced credibility of the qualitative analysis through this triangulation (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997).…”

Testimonioas Praxis for a Reimagined Journalism Model and Pedagogy

“…These censures rely primarily on Western cultural values (Arias, 2001;Binford, 2001;Brooks, 2005;Irizarry, 2005). The logics of representation make any kind of retelling naturally fraught with complexities (Binford, 2001;Brooks, 2005;Gutiérrez, 2008;Pérez Huber, 2009a), but Chicana scholars who have taken up testimonio as a method, pedagogy, research, or activist tool have lessened the power differential between interlocutor and witness by either fusing them together-as when they recount their own story (Burciaga & Tavares, 2006;Espino, Muñoz, & Marquez Kiyama, 2010;Flores & Garcia, 2009;Latina Feminist Group, 2001;Pérez Huber, 2009b)-or by bringing their own experiences of disenfranchisement to bear on the sense-making and analysis of testimonios by other Latinas (Cruz, 2006). Testimonio also somewhat eases the social distance between testimoniante and intended audience.…”