Feminista pláticas as a methodological disruption: drawing upon embodied knowledge, vulnerability, healing, and resistance

Abstract

Guided by Chicana/Latina scholars that have written explicitly about the methodology of feminista pláticas, this article positions feminista pláticas as a methodological disruption in educational research. We argue that embodied knowledge is a necessary part of a feminista plática methodology; it centers our bodymindspirit and the power of vulnerability in the research process. Through a discussion of emotions, language, and the relationship between feminista pláticas and testimonio, we illustrate how this methodology can be used to heal from and resist traditional research approaches that are rooted in whiteness, colonial logics, and white supremacy. A feminista plática methodology creates a space where we can be our most authentic selves and work with and for our collaborators. We conclude with a discussion on positionality and areas that merit further examination in a feminista plática methodology.

Keywords:

• Feminista pláticas
• Chicana/Latina feminisms
• methodology
• embodied knowledge

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 In this manuscript, we use the term “Chicana/Latina feminist” interchangeably with “feminista.”

2 Dolores has discussed this line of questioning with Dr. Judith Flores Carmona, Dr. Rebeca Burciaga, and Dr. Alejandra Elenes who have also had students in their classes ask similar questions.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Socorro Morales

Socorro Morales is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research utilizes Chicana/Latina feminisms and critical race theory to examine the racialized experiences of Chicanx youth, critical racegendered methodologies, and youth resistance.

Alma Itzé Flores

Alma Itzé Flores is an assistant professor in the Undergraduate Studies in Education Department at California State University, Sacramento. As a Chicana feminist teacher-scholar, her research examines the educational pathways of first-generation college students, Chicana/Latina mothers, and the development and analysis of Chicana/Latina feminist pedagogies and research methodologies.

Tanya J. Gaxiola Serrano

Tanya J. Gaxiola Serrano is an Assistant Professor of Postsecondary Education in the College of Education at San Diego State University. Her research explores the racialized inequities faced by Communities of Color when navigating higher education. She is a student of Chicana/Latina feminist epistemologies and critical race theory.

Dolores Delgado Bernal

Dolores Delgado Bernal is Professor of Education at Loyola Marymount University. Her scholarship draws from Chicana feminist studies and critical race studies to investigate educational (in)equity, Latinx educational pathways, feminista pedagogies, and different forms of student resistance.