Through the methodologies of critical reflexión and autoethnography, the author illustrates how border/transformative pedagogies and Anzaldúa's concepts of nos/otras and new tribalism proved useful in efforts to dismantle color- and colonial-blind ideologies, abstract liberalism, and binary and oppositional thinking among members of a graduate…

How can disproportionate elite political, economic, and social power -- the essence of inequality -- be challenged peacefully and democratically with empowerment from below through critical pedagogy? Paraguay presents a fascinating case study to address this question, especially considering how its history of colonization, authoritarianism, and…

In this paper, I assert that professors can develop transformative pedagogies from exposure to social injustice in everyday work and teaching or from studying it in graduate programmatic and course settings. I make this assertion based on data from a qualitative study where I interviewed five public university professors (n= 5) from humanities and…

Using Anzaldúa's theory of conocimiento--a fluid journey of reflection and knowledge production--we examine how two Latina undergraduates experience critical consciousness within an ethnic studies course. We challenge that critical consciousness is an end-all, be-all state by highlighting contradictions in thinking, internal shifts,…

A particular twenty-first-century understanding of the Aztec concept "nepantla," one which has recently taken hold in critical education thanks to the writings of Gloria Anzaldúa, does not accurately reflect traditional Aztec history and philosophy. This essay reveals why this is the case, demonstrating in detail the meaning of…

In this article, we explore features of a summer program intended to support the personal and academic development of non-dominant high school youth. We focus on one particularly robust practice in the program known as encuentros -- daily gatherings intended to build community and collective sense-making. We draw on field notes and videos to…

Mathematics education researchers agree that students' mathematical learning can be positively impacted by making connections to their out of school experiences through a funds of knowledge lens. This is especially important for diverse students whose experiences are often underrepresented in school curricula. Making these connections can be…

This study contributes to the limited research on emergent bilinguals, perspective taking, and second language reading of informative text. The explicit integration of Freire's (1993) notion of conscientizacao, or consciousness-raising, with the constructs of empathy and embodiment (Gee, 2001; Hurtado, 1996) and with translanguaging (García, 2009)…

Recent studies show that many college instructors still believe that Latino students lack the "school smarts" for academic success. This essay challenges the notion of school smarts in order to highlight Latino students' numerous strengths. I share my model for a mentorship program that facilitates better student-faculty…

This storytelling begins with a positioning of why and how we use "testimonio" as part of a larger project of social justice and transformative pedagogies. In this collective "testimonio," 5 working-class Latina scholars tell the stories of their struggles to overcome the challenges of language and assimilation, of gender discrimination and…

Mounted on the walls, windows, and bookcases of Ms. Cati de los Rios's Pomona High School classroom are a multitude of faces, mainly heroes, martyrs, and leaders of Latina/o and African descent. These faces are a symbol of the countercultural and student-centered approach to education that occurs in her classroom. The mere presence of these…

Influenced by Freinet, Freire, and Sherover-Marcuse, the author describes the evolution of her pedagogy, including a demystifying and empowering approach to working with graduate students in the dissertation process. Alma Flor Ada's educational philosophy and praxis, grounded in critical pedagogy and transformative education, developed in the…