“Esos movimientos de rebeldia que tenemos en la sangre nosotros los mexicanos surgen como rios desbocanados en mis venas. Y como mi raza que cada en cuando deja caer eas esclavitud de
obedecer, de callarse y aceptar, en mi esta la rebeldia encimita de mi carne. Debajo de mi humillada Mirada esta un acara insolente lista para explotar.Me costo muy caro mi rebeldia -- -acalambrada con desvelos y dudas sintiendome inutil, estupida, e impotente”. - Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands La Frontera, The New Mestiza (1987) |
The Latinx/Chicanx communities have a history of being colonized and oppressed and this can be seen in the methodologies scholars use when talking about marginalized groups like the LGBTQ and Latinx/Chicanx communities. Testimonios have been used as a tool to help liberate and validate the experiences of many Latinx/Chicanx people. In Lindsay Perez Huber’s, “Disrupting Apartheid of Knowledge: Testimonio As Methodology in Latina/o Critical Race Research in Education”
|
It is truly inspiring to see that testimonios have not been lost as a methodology. Perez Huber’s article really resonates with the research that I plan on doing because not only am I using testimonios, but the reason why I am choosing to use these methods is similar to the argument she was making. When I originally started this research project and was sharing it with some people I thought would be my mentors, they met me with the same kind of inappropriate responses. However, instead of bringing me down, it only served as more proof that this project needed to pan out the way I wanted it to.
Testimonios are a form of resistance to to social and cultural oppression that Latinx/Chicanx people have faced for years. In an attempt to explore just a small part of this community, Perez Huber’s article shows me that it is more important than ever to use methodologies that have a connection to the focus of my study. It would be an injustice to look at the Latinx/Chicanx community, get their stories, and then label them as semi-structured interviews. Therefore I feel that it is important to not let this form of methodology to get lost in the void of white academia. |
The data that I will be collecting includes testimonios from three Latinx men who live in NYC. Their ages will range from 22-26. I will be gathering these testimonios from these men by recording our conversations on my iPhone. However, I will be taking detailed notes notes of the conversation . I will make sure to go over these notes with the participants to ensure that I am not misconstruing anything they said. This process will go on for about a week. My participants will probably be spending 30 minutes to an hour with me.
I will be providing my participants with some guiding questions, which are as followed:
|
As I previously stated, these are merely guiding questions for my participants. This is so that they are able to understand the kind of experiences I want them to focus on. It also gives them a frame of what I am looking for and allows them to pain these metaphorical pictures themselves, allowing them to e unique.
I am uniquely positioned to do this research because I myself identify as a gay Latinx man. I am not trying to exploit these men but rather intend to validate their experiences and get their voices heard. Rather than being objective, I hope my participants feel comfortable talking to me knowing that I too understand part of the struggle, for it is my struggle as well. |