Blending Feminist Theory and Social Justice Activism: The Case of Journeying Asylum Seekers
Channel: Center for Latin American & Border Studies (CLABS)
Date: 2022-04-05

This talk explores the author’s journey to develop a scholar-activist identity. Drawing on field notes from the author’s ethnographic work as a volunteer supporting asylum seekers traveling to their sponsors after being released from ICE detention, this talk offers a roadmap for scholars interested in combining theory and activism to produce rich, critical and grounded scholarship. The author draws from two theoretical frameworks intersectionality (Collins, 2000) and spiritual activism (Anzaldua, 2002) — both developed by women of color scholars to guide our efforts toward transformation —to reconcile her role as a community advocate with her role as a scholar in academe. Drawing from illustrative examples of the strategic way asylum seekers counter the State’s representation of them as carceral subjects, by emphasizing their role as family members, the author merges theory and activism. This talk encourages scholars interested in infusing antiracist and social justice values in their research to use feminist paradigms as anchors for their writing and their community efforts.