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HOMEPLACE: A Case-Study of Latinx students experiences in making meaning within a multicultural center

Garcia-Pusateri, Yvania
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3780-0090
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1578429485170412

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Educational Leadership.
While Latinx students struggle to endure negative stereotypes, microaggressions and other forms of discrimination, they are still one of the fastest growing populations in US higher education. Several studies conducted on the experiences of Latinx students at predominantly white institutions conclude that poor racial climates deter these students from establishing a sense of belonging. With that said, it is important to understand what support systems are available for Latinx students. This study examines the experiences of Latinx students and their relationship to a campus multicultural center. Furthermore, this study explores how Latinx students might make meaning within the multicultural center. Like their Black counterparts, it is important to acknowledge that Latinx students also face discrimination, racism, alienation, and marginalization on campus (Harper & Hurtado, 2007, p. 9) and thus also need to build community and support through counterspaces (Yosso, Smith, Ceja & Solorzano, 2009). To demonstrate the importance of community and counterspaces, this study drew upon homeplace which hooks (1990) describes as a “site of resistance” engaged in community, healing, and escape from racist domination. To draw on the experiences of Latinx students and understand their relationship to the multicultural center and determine if a sense of homeplace was established, the researcher conducted a miniethnographic case study and employed methods which consisted of participant interviews, observations, and document analysis. This approach provided an intersectional way to explore the relationship between Latinx students and the multicultural through the guise of their experiences on campus and the multicultural center. While studies on multicultural centers have focused on the experiences of Black students within Black Cultural Centers, this study offered a nuanced perspective from the lens of Latinx students at a predominantly white institution.
Denise Baszile (Advisor)
Lisa Weems (Committee Member)
Thomas Poetter (Committee Member)
136 p.
Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Hispanic American Studies; Hispanic Americans; Latin American Studies
Latinx; Hispanic; Latino; Latina; Latinx Students; Multicultural Centers; Homeplace; Place-Making; College Students; Counterspaces; Predominately White Institutions; Ethnographic Studies; Case Studies

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Garcia-Pusateri, Y. (2020). HOMEPLACE: A Case-Study of Latinx students experiences in making meaning within a multicultural center [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1578429485170412

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Garcia-Pusateri, Yvania. HOMEPLACE: A Case-Study of Latinx students experiences in making meaning within a multicultural center. 2020. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1578429485170412.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Garcia-Pusateri, Yvania. "HOMEPLACE: A Case-Study of Latinx students experiences in making meaning within a multicultural center." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1578429485170412

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1578429485170412
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This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.