Latina Educators in Sociology: Combating Trumpism with Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

In this article, three Latina sociologists discuss how they engage in teaching in a predominantly white discipline during a sociopolitical context of overt xenophobia and racism. Under the Trump administration, the United States has witnessed increased rates in harassment, hate crimes, and mass shootings against people of color. Despite the 2020 Presidential Democratic win, the racist ideology that led to Trump’s sway over voters demands that we continue to contend with its remnants or what some refer to as “Trumpism.” We find it critical to engage with pedagogy today more than ever as our contemporary gendered racialization and past experiences inform our teaching pedagogy. Drawing on the outsider within paradigm and critical race theory, we advocate that educators should embrace their own identities and those of students in the teaching of class and research concepts. We offer an important focus on Latina voices in the teaching of race and ethnicity at two private research universities on the West Coast and one public university in the South. We also note that to be fully able to do this type of work, we need our colleges and universities to protect Latina scholars and other faculty of color from potential backlash from students, colleagues, and community members, who may not approve of a critical pedagogy.