“I am Latina and Latinx”: A Narrative Study of How Three Latina/Latinx College Students Create Identity Boundaries

Abstract

The term “Latinx” has gained much popularity in some higher education spaces, yet its meaning to and use by those categorized as such has remained unexplored. In this study, we employ narrative inquiry and the lens of Critical Race Feminism to understand how Latinx has evolved into an identity for three individuals who embrace Latinx as a third-gender space. This study presents the narrative of three self-identified Latina/Latinx students about their use and definition of “Latinx.” From these lived experiences, we learned how some users of the term might leverage it as a tool to negotiate their dynamic Latina/Latinx identity development. This article shares three findings detailing how participants define the term Latinx, the boundaries developed to claiming Latinx identity, and how they used the term and identity Latinx to educate others and/or disrupt dominant ways of knowing. Last, this study ends with a discussion of the implications of this study for education research, practice, and policy.