June2016� IssueNo.5

ReclaimingOurHistories,RecoveringCommunityCulturalWealth

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Criticalracetheory(CRT)isadynamicinterdisciplinaryframeworkusedtoidentify,analyze,andchallengethewaysraceandracismintersectwithmultipleformsofsubordinationtoshapetheexperiencesofPeopleofColor(Delgado&Stefancic,2012).Informedbycriticalcommunityandacademictraditionsnamingraceasasocialconstruction,scholarshaveappliedCRTtothefieldofeducationtocloselyexamineandchangetheveryrealsocialconsequencesofracismwithinandbeyondschools(e.g.Zamudio,etal.,2011;Parker&Stovall,2004).Collectively,thisworkhastakenupRichardDelgado’s(2003)challengeto“considerthatraceisnotmerelyamatterforabstractanalysis,butforstruggle.Itshouldexpresslyaddressthepersonaldimensionsofthatstruggleandwhattheymeanforintellectuals”(pp.151-152).Inthisbrief,wefocusonthenaminganarrayofknowledges,skillsabilities,andnetworksofcommunitiesofcolor“notmerelyforabstractanalysis,”butasapartofthelargerstruggletosurviveandresistracism.

OV E RV I EW O F L I T E RA TURE

ThequestionposedinTaraJ.Yosso’s2005WhoseCultureHasCapitalarticlepositionedthewaysofknowingandbeingofCommunitiesofColorassitesofurgentstruggle.MariMatsuda(1989),encouragedscholarstoengageinthisstruggleasaconsciouseffort“toknowhistoryfromthebottom,”andcarefulconsiderationof“sourcesoftenignored:journals,poems,oralhistories,andstoriesfromtheirownexperiencesoflifeinahierarchicallyarrangedworld”(pp.2323–24).Onlybylisteningtothose“facesatthebottomofsociety’swell,”asDerrickBell(1992)described,wouldwerecoverformsofknowledgelongmisrepresentedandmisunderstood,and“learnfromthosewhomwewouldteach”(p.198).There,inthemargins,wenamecommunityculturalwealthasanarrayofknowledges,skills,abilities,andnetworkspossessedandutilizedbyCommunitiesofColortosurviveandresistracismandotherformsofoppression.1

Scholarshaveastutelyoutlinedtheoriginsandevolutionofdeficitthinkingasfoundationaltotheprojectofracismandcolonialism(e.g.Valencia&Solórzano,1997).Communityculturalwealthtakes

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CCRS at UCLA

TaraJ.YossoUniversityofMichigan

RebecaBurciagaSanJoséStateUniversity

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“Vivamusportaestsedest.”

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Maecenasinterdumlectus.

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andresourcesilluminatesamultifacetedviewofcommunityculturalwealth:

• Aspirationalcapitalreferstotheabilitytomaintainhopesanddreamsforthefuture,eveninthefaceofrealandperceivedbarriers.

• Linguisticcapitalincludestheintellectualandsocialskillsattainedthroughcommunicationinmultiplelanguagesand/orlanguagestyles(includingcommunicationthroughart,music,poetry,theatre,anddance).

• Socialcapitalcanbeunderstoodasnetworksofpeopleandcommunityresources.

• Navigationalcapitalreferstoskillsinmaneuveringthroughsocialinstitutions.Historically,thisimpliestheabilitytomaneuverthroughinstitutionsnotcreatedwithCommunitiesofColorinmind.

• Familialcapitalreferstothoseculturalknowledgesnurturedamongfamilia(kin)thatcarryasenseofcommunityhistory,memory,andculturalintuition.

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• Resistantcapitalreferstothoseknowledgesandskillsfosteredthroughoppositionalbehaviorthatchallengeinequality.

Eachoftheformsofcapitalwithinthekaleidoscope,andtheirmultifaceteddimensionsbuildsonanextensivebodyofcriticalsocialscienceresearchthathasconsistentlyreframedcultureasaresourceforCommunitiesofColor,ratherthanasadetriment(e.g.Asante,1991;Gómez-Quiñones,1977;Grande,2004;Kelley,1997;Trueba&Delgado-Gaitan,1988).Itisonlythroughethicalapproachestolisteningandlearningaboutstrengthsthatthekaleidoscopecanhelpusdocumenthowtheseknowledgeshavebeenpreservedandpasseddown–oftenindifficultcircumstancesincludingviolence,threats,humiliations,andunjustlaws.Asweconsiderthegenerationsofcommunitieswhohavepreservedandpasseddownculturalwealthdespiteharshconditions,letusbefiercevisionariesforgeneratingopportunitiestocultivatecommunityculturalwealthasatoolofreclamation–atoolforsocialjustice.2

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particularaimatdeficitinterpretationsofPierreBourdieuandculturalcapitaltheory(Bourdieu&Passeron,1977).Bourdieuarguedthatsocialhierarchyisnotreproducedbychance,butratherthatthoseinpower(eliteWhites)restrictaccesstotheformsofknowledgeandnetworks,ortheformsofcapitaltheyacquiredthroughtheirfamilyand/orthroughformalschooling.Heexposesthemeansbywhichdominantgroupswithinsocietymaintainpower—bylimitingaccesstoacquireandutilizeveryspecificformsofcultural,social,andeconomiccapital.Throughadeficitlens,however,Bourdieu’scritiqueofhowhierarchyreproducesitselfisutilizedasa‘how-to’model,whereinStudentsofColorneedtoacquiretheappropriateculturalcapitalorsocialcapitaltoachieveacademically.

D I SCU S S I ON

CRTpushesusto“see”CommunitiesofColorinacriticalhistoricallight.ExaminingthelivedexperiencesofCommunitiesofColorthroughCRTasourprimarylens,wecanseeatleastsixdynamicandoverlappingformsofcapital.Thisinterplayofculturalassets

ResearchBriefIssueNo.1

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CONS I D ER I NG OUR P A S T A S A B R I DG E TO T H E F U TURE

Forthosegenerationscurrentlystrugglingthroughtheeducationalpipelineandthosewhohaveyettoarrive,weurgentlyneedamorein-depthhistoricalanalysisofcommunityculturalwealth.Establishingarchivalcollectionsandcreativelymakingthesehistoriesmorepubliclyaccessiblecontributestothepreservationofpreciouscommunitymemory.WeappreciateKrisGutiérrez’s(2016)callforresearcherstoemploy“asocioculturalimagination,withanexpansiveunderstandingofhowpeoplecanlearnresonantly,asthey

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livetogetherproductivelyandinterculturally”(p.188).SheillustratesthisapproachbylookingtoherownpastandconsideringthewaysapredominatelyMexicanAmericanminingtowninArizonagenerateda“grammarofhope,possibility,andresilience”(p.188).There,Gutiérrezfinds“despitethesegregation,andinstitutionalattemptstotransformdifferenceintodeficit,thecommunity,itspeople,andpracticeswereresilientinwaysthatwouldnotbeevidentfromfocusingsolelyontheactionsofthoseinpower”(p.189).Tofostersuchacriticalhistoricalperspectiveofourpresentmaterialconditions,wemust

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shifttheresearchlensnotonlyawayfromthosepeoplewithpower,butawayfromdeficit-ladendefinitionsand‘how-to’modelsofacquiringandenactingpower.Wemustalsorecommitourselvestopraxis—actionthatistheoreticallyandhistoricallygrounded.Indeed,byrecoveringancienttraditionsofpassingonculturalknowledge,inspiteofandtospiteeffortsofhistoricalerasure,wedomorethanhonorthebrilliantingenuityofthosewhoemployedcommunityculturalwealthinspaces,places,programs,andaction-researchagendas—were-writeourplaceinhistoryandre-inscribeourplaceinbuildingthefuture.3

NO T E S DedicatedtoDr.ErnestoGalarza,whoutilizedafullarrayofculturalknowledges,skills,abilities,andnetworksinhisfierceadvocacyofMexicanlaborersandtheirchildrenintheUnitedStates.

1bellhooks(1990)encouragesustoembracethemarginasasiteofresistance,asserting,“Locatingoneselfthereisdifficultyetnecessary.Itisnota‘safe’place.Oneisalwaysatrisk.Oneneedsacommunityofresistance(p.149).2GloriaAnzaldúa(2002)remindsusthat“Changerequiresmorethanwordsonapage—ittakesperseverance,creativeingenuityandactsoflove”(p.574).

ResearchBriefIssueNo.5C en t e r f o r C r i t i c a l R a ce S t u d i e s

Familialcapital

Naviga-onalcapital

Linguis-ccapital

Resistantcapital

Socialcapital

Aspira-onalcapital

AKaleidoscopeofCommunityCulturalWealth

ModeloriginallyappearedinYosso&García(2007).AdaptedfromVillalpando&Solórzano(2005),Yosso(2005,2006).

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CenterforCriticalRaceStudiesatUCLA

1041FMooreHallLosAngeles,CA90066ccrsatucla@gmail.com

3WeareinspiredherealsobyNataliaMolina’s(2015)analysisofthewaysgentrificationerasesculturalknowledgespreviouslysharedinparticularplaces.InherexaminationofherchildhoodneighborhoodofEchoPark,California,shefindsrestaurantsfunctioningasempowering“socialspaces”cultivatedbytheeffortsof“place-makerswholeaveamarkontheurbanlandscapeforgenerationstocome”(p.3).

RE F E R EN CE S Anzaldúa,G.E.(2002).“Nowletusshift…thepathofconocimiento…innerwork,publicacts.”In,G.Anzaldúa&A.Keating(Eds.).Thisbridgewecallhome:Radicalvisionsfortransformation(NewYork,Routledge),540–578.

Asante,M.K.(1991).Afrocentriccurriculum.EducationalLeadership,49(4),28-31.

Bell,D.(1992).Facesatthebottomofthewell:Thepermanenceofracism.NewYork:BasicBooks.

Bourdieu,P.,&Passeron,J.C.(1977).Reproductionineducation,society,andculture.London:Sage.

Delgado,R.(2003).Crossroadsandblindalleys:Acriticalexaminationofrecentwritingaboutrace.TexasLawReview,82,121-152.

Delgado,R.S.,&Stefancic,J.J.(2012).Criticalracetheory:Anintroduction.2ndEdition.NewYorkUniversityPress.

Gómez-Quiñones,J.(1977).Onculture.PopularSeriesNo.1.UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles,ChicanoStudiesResearchCenterPublications.

Grande,S.(2004).Redpedagogy:NativeAmericansocialandpoliticalthought.NewYork:Rowman&Littlefield.

Gutiérrez,K.(2016).Designingresilientecologies:Socialdesignexperimentsandanewsocialimagination.EducationalResearcher,45(3),187-196.

hooks,b.(1990).Yearning:race,genderandculturalpolitics.Cambridge,MA:SouthEndPress.

Kelley,R.D.G.(1997).Yomama’sdysfunktional!FightingtheculturewarsinurbanAmerica.Boston,MA:BeaconPress.

Matsuda,M.(1989).Legalstorytelling:Publicresponsetoracistspeech:Consideringthevictim’sstory.MichiganLawReview,87,2320-2381.

Molina,N.(2015).Theimportanceofplaceandplace-makersinthelifeofaLosAngelescommunity:WhatgentrificationerasesfromEchoPark.SouthernCaliforniaQuarterly,97(1),69-111.

Parker,L.,&Stovall,D.O.(2004).Actionsfollowingwords:Criticalracetheoryconnectstocriticalpedagogy.EducationalPhilosophyandTheory,36(2),167-182.

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Trueba,H.T.,&Delgado-Gaitan,C.(1988).Schoolandsociety.Learningcontentthroughculture.NewYork:PraegerPublishers

Valencia,R.R.,&Solórzano,D.G.(1997).“Contemporarydeficitthinking.”In,R.Valencia(Ed.).Theevolutionofdeficitthinkingineducationalthoughtandpractice(pp.160-210).NewYork:Falmer.

Villalpando,O.,&Solórzano,D.G.(2005).“Theroleofcultureincollegepreparationprograms:Areviewoftheliterature.”InW.Tierney,Z.Corwin,andJ.Kolyar(Eds.).Preparingforcollege:Nineelementsofeffectiveoutreach(pp.13–28).Albany:StateUniversityofNewYorkPress.

Yosso,T.J.(2005).Whoseculturehascapital?Acriticalracetheorydiscussionofcommunityculturalwealth.RaceEthnicityandEducation,8(1),69-91

Yosso,T.J.(2006).CriticalracecounterstoriesalongtheChicana/Chicanoeducationalpipeline.NewYork:Routledge.

Yosso,T.J.,&García,D.G.(2007).‘Thisisnoslum!’:AcriticalracetheoryanalysisofcommunityculturalwealthinCultureClash’sChavezRavine.Aztlan:AJournalofChicanoStudies,32(1),145-179.

Zamudio,M.M.,Russell,C.,Rios,F.A.,&Bridgeman,J.L.(2011).Criticalracetheorymatters:Educationandideology.NewYork:Routledge.

TARAJ.YOSSOisaprofessorintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofMichigan.Herresearchandteachingapplytheframeworksofcriticalracetheoryandcriticalmedialiteracytoexamineeducationalaccessandequity,emphasizingthecommunityculturalwealthStudentsofColorbringtoschool.

REBECABURCIAGAisanassociateprofessorofEducationalLeadershipatSanJoséStateUniversitywheresheteachesintheM.A.andEd.D.programs.Herresearchisfocusedonthesocio-historicalconditionsanddeficitideologiesthatshapeeducationalopportunitiesfrompre-schoolingthroughprofession,therolesthatfamiliesandcommunitiesplayinsupportingstudents’personalandacademicsuccess;andthecommunityculturalwealthofhistoricallymarginalizedstudents,teachers,andschooladministrators.

CriticalRaceStudiesBriefs.AnongoingseriesofferingresearchoncriticalissuesfacingCommunitiesofColor.Editor:DanielSolórzanoPublicationsCoordinators:RyanSantos,TanyaGaxiola,NoraCisneros,AlmaFlores,&NicholeGarcia

ThisBriefSerieswasmadepossibleinpartthroughfundingfromtheofficesoftheDeanoftheGraduateSchoolofEducationandInformationStudies(GSE&IS).

MISSIONSTATEMENTTheCenterforCriticalRaceStudiesatUCLAsupportsinterdisciplinary,collaborative,andpolicy-orientedresearchonissuescriticaltoCommunitiesofColor.

MISSIONSTATEMENTTheCenterforCriticalRaceStudiesatUCLAsupportsinterdisciplinary,collaborative,andpolicy-orientedresearchonissuescriticaltoCommunitiesofColor.

CenterforCriticalRaceStudiesBriefs.AnongoingseriesofferingresearchoncriticalissuesfacingCommunitiesofColor.Editor:DanielG.Solórzano.Co-Editors:TanyaGaxiolaSerrano,RyanE.Santos,NoraCisneros,AlmaItzéFlores,&NicholeM.Garcia.

ThisBriefSerieswasmadepossibleinpartthroughfundingfromtheofficesoftheDeanoftheGraduateSchoolofEducationandInformationStudies(GSE&IS).

CriticalRaceStudiesBriefs.AnongoingseriesofferingresearchoncriticalissuesfacingCommunitiesofColor.Editor:DanielSolórzanoPublicationsCoordinators:RyanSantos,TanyaGaxiola,