Contesting Exclusion and Erasure in Los Angeles K–12 Schools: Perspectives from the Guatemalan Diaspora
Abstract
Contesting Exclusion and Erasure in Los Angeles K–12 Schools: Perspectives from the Guatemalan Diaspora
Abstract
This article examines how young adults from the Guatemalan diaspora describe their experiences of exclusion and erasure in K–12 schools in Los Angeles, California. Drawing on semistructured interviews and the framework of Critical Latinx Indigeneities, the study situates participants’ accounts within transnational histories of Indigeneity and race. It examines how language, Indigenous background, and nationality intersect to shape whose identities and histories are recognised in school.
The findings show that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Guatemalan participants challenged these forms of erasure by seeking out their communities’ histories. They pursued independent research and learned through student organisations, college courses and spaces, and community-based organisations. The article concludes by calling for spaces dedicated to Central American studies that critically examine race and migration and make Guatemalan histories and experiences more visible.
Keywords — Guatemalan diaspora, educational exclusion, erasure, Critical Latinx Indigeneities, Central American studies, Los Angeles.
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References
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