Chicana feminist ontologies and the social process of constructing knowledge

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this essay, I argue for Chicanx feminist theories as an optimal domain for the ontological insights of border identities in the process of constructing knowledge, and more specifically in the development of communication theory. Because Chicanx feminist scholarship articulates specific ontological viewpoints, it expertly illuminates border experiences. For some time, Chicanx theorists within communication studies have made this argument, yet it has still not been implemented. In this essay, I make a case for Chicanx feminist studies in communication studies by highlighting the need for a turn away from Cartesian theorizing and by emphasizing how communication scholars can benefit from this knowledge. The implications of theorizing from the body are crucial in Chicanx feminist studies and provide nuanced understandings for communication scholars. To this end, I focus on the undocumented student context as a case study to show the possibility of institutional change within the academy—a change that shifts various understandings of undocumented students and hopefully gives people in positions of power the resources to make the academy more accessible for undocumented students.