Complex Subjectivities: Class, Ethnicity, and Race in Women's Narratives of Upward Mobility

Abstract

This article engages the intersection of class, race, and ethnicity and the ways in which class marginality informs self and academic practice by drawing on research with ten female professors from the working class. Two phenomenological interviews were conducted with each participant as a primary source of data. Secondary sources included classroom visits and relevant documents. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a combination of grounded theory and narrative analysis. The author presents a narrative analysis of two stories told by participants to illustrate two distinct conceptualizations of class and ethnicity. Following this, she draws on grounded theory analysis to illustrate the ways in which class marginality informs academic practice. Implications of this work for educational institutions are discussed.