Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Psychology

Advisor

Michelle Fine

Committee Members

María Elena Torre

Justin T. Brown

Monique A. Guishard

Wendy S. Barrales

Subject Categories

Social Psychology

Keywords

Chicana, Mexican-American, Mexican descent, Oral History, Borderlands Theory, Social Identity Theory

Abstract

This study explored the contours of the experiences of women of Mexican descent in the US using a theoretical frame of Anzaldúan Borderlands theory. In this study, n=13 narrators who self-identified as women of Mexican descent participated in pláticas (i.e., informal conversations to build relationship and understanding) and oral histories that were focused on their experiences over the course of their lives, including in various geographic locations in the US. There was an evident representation of women who had lived in, or currently live in, the US Southwest and the US Northeast and it was notable that the experiences the narrators shared while in these different geographic regions varied. The oral history narratives were analyzed using grounded theory, guided by frameworks that focused on the everyday interactions the women had toward creating the worlds they live in. Themes that emerged were varied and woven across oral histories. They included meaning making for being a Mexican descent woman as tied to relationality, geographic and regional histories, actions and commitments (e.g., activism and careers), and as unique individuals. Regarding what being of Mexican descent meant to the women in the study, themes of generational change, race and ethnicity in context, and food as culture emerged. With respect to the experiences that women shared from their lives, many women shared experiences with discrimination, as well as, joy, transformation, and instances of connection sharing their culture. The themes that emerged in these experiences were tied to racialization, racism, and classism, religion as tied to connection and justice, and joy in sharing Mexican culture, particularly food. This work highlighted the vast array of experiences and connections made through Mexican descent identity for women in the US. As a collection of oral histories, the study engages in the conversation of what Cotera, Blackwell, and Espinoza call movidas, in which Chicanas/Latinas make changes toward a better world through their day to day interactions with family, community, and systems. This study contributes to the expanding narratives of how Mexican descent women understand their worlds, their contexts, and how they are making changes in everyday life through actions, commitments, care work, and culture.

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This work is embargoed and will be available for download on Wednesday, April 28, 2027

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