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Writing Latina/o Historical Narratives: Narratives at the Intersection of Critical Historical Inquiry and LatCrit

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Abstract

This qualitative case study examines the experiences of Latina prospective teachers enrolled in a bilingual social studies methods course that focused attention upon critical historical inquiry. The students built historical narratives that deliberately addressed oft-ignored histories of Communities of Color. The analysis argues however that building counter narratives through traditional evidentiary trails ignores the fundamental experiences and epistemological frameworks of Latinas. Framing such pedagogies with LatCrit allows for those epistemologies that influence Latinas’ opposition to majoritarian tales and creation of counter stories.

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Notes

  1. Dr. Hector P. Garcia is part of the required Texas state curriculum in grades 3, 7 and 11, however, we contend that his inclusion in the curriculum is “additive” and not treated as a substantial part of American history.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the multiple social studies scholars who through the years (1999 to the present) have made significant contributions to The Student as Historian project while it was housed at the University of Colorado, Boulder, including Cecil Robinson and Michelle Reidel, and since its inception at the University of Texas at Austin, including Antonio Castro, Caroline Sullivan, Tom Wacker, Brooke Blevins, Kathy Obenchain, LaGarrett King, Whitney Blankenship, Ryan Crowley, Elizabeth Almond, Billy Smith, Jeannette Alarcon and Amanda Vickery. In addition, we acknowledge the continued collaborative work of the social studies graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin including Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, Kevin Magill, Scottie Johnson, Alice Sullivan, Kathlene Holmes, Neil Shanks and Esther Kim. Finally we acknowledge the invaluable and enduring attention to the project by the social studies faculty at the University of Texas at Austin including Sherry Field, Anthony Brown and Katie Payne.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curriculum and Instruction, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Mail Code: D5700, Austin, TX, 78712-0379, USA

    Cinthia S. Salinas & Noreen Naseem Rodríguez

  2. College of Education, The University of Utah, 1721 Campus Center Drive, SAEC 3202, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112-9253, USA

    María E. Fránquiz

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  1. Cinthia S. Salinas
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  2. María E. Fránquiz
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  3. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez
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Correspondence to Noreen Naseem Rodríguez.

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Salinas, C.S., Fránquiz, M.E. & Rodríguez, N.N. Writing Latina/o Historical Narratives: Narratives at the Intersection of Critical Historical Inquiry and LatCrit. Urban Rev 48, 264–284 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-016-0355-z

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