Touring the margins: geographies and experiences of Black and Chicano men at a historically White university

McKelvey, Michelle Figueroa (2022) Touring the margins: geographies and experiences of Black and Chicano men at a historically White university. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Recent data shows a national decline in the number of men completing four-year degrees and a growing gap between men and the number of women who attain bachelor’s degrees (Parker, 2021; Reeves & Smith, 2021). Men of color have the lowest college enrollment and completion rates, and the gap in degree attainment is continuing to grow when compared to White men as well as women of color (Anthony et al., 2021; Harper & Harris, 2010; Kaufman, 1999). Black and Latino men are among the least likely to assimilate to a White campus environment (Cuyjet, 2009; Guardia & Evans, 2010; Hurtado & Carter, 1997). Creating institutions that are unwelcoming and hostile towards men of color. In addition, the male college student narrative is driven by the experiences of White men, rendering men of color invisible. The exclusion of men of color from higher education has been a centuries long practice that led to the promotion and institutionalization of whiteness on historically White college campuses (Gusa, 2010). Most research pertaining to men of color in college and their experiences interrogates their interactions with classrooms, faculty, and curriculum; there is little that seeks to understand how they interact with White spaces (Bukoski & Hatch, 2016; Harper & Hurtado, 2007; Samura, 2016). Separating men of color into more specific demographic groups is also necessary to begin disaggregating the data and better representing their unique experiences (Cuyjet, 2009; Kauffman, 1999). This research was conducted using critical geography of education as the theoretical framework. This has most often been applied to the K-12 setting, and there is a need for further research in higher education (Brooks et al., 2016; Samura, 2016). Additionally, it provided the opportunity to explore the intersections of race and space, and how each influenced the other. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the ways in which Black and Chicano men navigated a historically White university and to better understand their day-to-day experiences in White spaces. This was conducted through walking/moving interviews and a semi-formal interview structure. The data is presented through composite counter storytelling followed by a thematic analysis of spaces and geographies encountered and created by the participants. The ten men who participated in this study bring visibility to how Black and Chicano men are navigating historically White universities and the spaces on these campuses. They paint a picture of the ways in which they are required to constantly negotiate their identities and presence on campus while also finding moments of liberation.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Campus planning; Critical geography; Liberation; Space; University; White space; Black college students; Hispanic college students; College dropouts
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited:	12 Jun 2023 21:47
Last Modified:	12 Jun 2023 21:47
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6006

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