Constructing meaning of the term Latinx: a trioethnography through Pláticas

Abstract

For this study, the authors engaged in a series of conversations or pláticas to critically examine their understanding and use of the term Latinx. Using ‘trioethnography’ as methodology, the authors’ critical dialogic discussions surfaced new and transformative understandings of the term Latinx. Two questions guided this study: (1) How do we choose to take up the term Latinx in our personal and professional lives? (2) What new understandings and implications of the term occur through our pláticas? The authors identified three themes regarding their use and understanding of Latinx: (1) the institutionalization of the term Latinx with a focus on inclusivity versus performativity; (2) the development of critical consciousness and liminality around the term; and (3) epistemological, theoretical, and practical shifts in understanding of the term.

Keywords:

• Latinx
• duoethnography
• trioethnography
• pláticas

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The term Latinx/a/o is used to encompass multiple genders of identity. The terms Latinx, Latino, or Latina, individually, and Hispanic are present when referring to other scholars’ work and the terms they chose to use. We acknowledge that in there are multiple race-gendered terms that are not often used in mainstream academia (i.e., Salinas, 2020; Salinas & Lozano, 2021).

2 We italicize Latinx when referring to it as the term we are examining (artifact). We do not italicize Latinx when used as a pan-ethnic label (e.g., Latinx community, Latinx faculty, Latinx/a/o students).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adele Lozano

Adele Lozano is an associate professor in the Student Affairs Administration Department at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Her scholarship centers on the experiences of Latinx/a/o students at historically White institutions in the Midwest, with a focus on identity development, leadership development, and the role of cultural centers in Latinx/a/o student success.

Cristobal Salinas

Cristobal Salinas Jr. is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Research Methodology Department at Florida Atlantic University. His research promotes access and equality in higher education and explores the social and political context of education opportunities for historically marginalized communities.

Roberto C. Orozco

Roberto C. Orozco is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Higher Education Program at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. His scholarship centers the experiences of queer Latinx/a/o college students. with a focus on student activism and identity development through a Chicana Feminist and Jotería Studies lens.