“We Came Together Out of Necessity”: A Latina Diaspora Group Engaging in Plática to Thrive with Dignity in Academia

Abstract

In this article, five Latina faculty members and one Latina doctoral student engaged in Chicana feminist plática methodology to examine how creating and participating in a Latina diaspora group supports our personal and professional well-being. As Latina researchers/educators, situated in a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the Midwest, we collected narrative and discussion data centered around how our collaborative group provided a space to navigate academia and higher education. We analyzed our narratives and our analysis revealed three themes: (a) resisting the silos of academia through liminal spaces, (b) blurring our borders of the professional and personal through pláticas, and (c) disrupting hierarchies through la facultad. This article informs scholarly conversations about Latina/Chicana ways of knowing, and what it means to work in solidarity as women faculty of color within PWIs.