Filtering by
- All Subjects: Critical Race Theory
- All Subjects: Justice
- Creators: Romero, Mary
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Three conceptual constructs, each composed of three categories, that described the different (im)migrant experiences in this study emerged through data analysis. The first of these conceptual constructs was the racialized/ing (im)migrant experience that categorically was divided into systemic exclusions, liminal exclusions, and micro-social contextual exclusions. The second concept that emerged was the passed/ing (im)migrant experience where (im)migrant university students shared that they felt they had a systemic pathway to citizenship and/or that their immigration authorization gave them privilege. This concept was also categorically divided into systemic inclusions, liminal inclusions, and micro-social contextual inclusions. The last concept was the negotiated/ing (im)migrant experience, which described ways that (im)migrant university students negotiated their space/place in the public sphere while attending a large, public university in Arizona. As with the other two concepts, three categories emerged in relation to negotiated/ing (im)migrant experience: systemic negotiations, liminal negotiations, and micro-social contextual negotiations. It is (im)migrant university student experiences that give individuals a better understanding of the complexities that surround immigration. The (im)migrant narratives also highlight that inclusion and exclusion from the public sphere is a complex and dynamic process because all (im)migrant students, including U.S. citizens, experienced moments of inclusion and exclusion from the U.S. public sphere.
This qualitative research study’s main objective is to explore how Latinas/os in South Phoenix, Arizona perceive the impact of the light rail construction. This phenomenological study utilizes three data sources: pláticas (individual interviews), intergenerational pláticas (focus groups), and a mapping exercise. The theoretical framework is composed of three theories—Ecological Systems Theory, Critical Race, Theory, and Latina/o Critical Theory—which serve as the basis for analyzing the co-collaborators’ lived experiences in relation to the light rail. They view this ongoing development project as symbolic of changes that have taken place in South Phoenix that do not take into account the will of the residents, but rather emphasize the ways that city officials disregard the opinions of residents. Co-collaborators’ experiences related their perceptions, decision-making, and the coping skills they have developed during the construction of the light rail, which I consolidated into five themes: 1) Conexión Emocional con el Sur de Phoenix/Emotional Connection to South Phoenix, 2) Conexión Histórica con el Sur de Phoenix/Historical Connection to South Phoenix, 3) Esperanza y Miedo/Hope and Fear, 4) Movilidad/Mobility (Movilidad Social/Social Mobility y/and Transportación/Transportation), and 5) El Derecho a Quedarse en un Vecindario Transformado/The Right to Remain in a Transformed Neighborhood. The study concludes with implications for social work praxis and recommendations for further study and strategies derived from these findings.