Contesting Exclusion and Erasure: The Educational Experiences of Guatemalans in Los Angeles

Adding to the research on Guatemalan migration, this article analyzes semistructured interviews with young adults from the Guatemalan diaspora to understand how they experience exclusion and erasure in K–12 schools in Los Angeles, California. Using Critical Latinx Indigeneities as a framework, the a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Latin American Research Review
Main Author: Floridalma Boj Lopez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1542427825100849/type/journal_article
Description
Summary:Adding to the research on Guatemalan migration, this article analyzes semistructured interviews with young adults from the Guatemalan diaspora to understand how they experience exclusion and erasure in K–12 schools in Los Angeles, California. Using Critical Latinx Indigeneities as a framework, the author contextualizes these experiences within transnational histories of Indigeneity and race to unpack the various forms of erasure that students experience, including complex intersections of language, Indigenous background, and nationality. The findings note that Indigenous and non-Indigenous Guatemalans counter these erasures by finding sources of information to understand their community’s histories, including looking for information on their own, learning through student organizations, college courses or spaces, and community-based organizations. The author concludes by noting the need for Central American studies spaces that are informed by critical analysis of race and migration.
ISSN:1542-4278