Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory: LatCrit Theory, Praxis and Community.

LatCrit theory is a relatively recent genre of critical “outsider jurisprudence” – a category of contemporary scholarship including critical legal studies, feminist legal theory, critical race theory, critical race feminism, Asian American legal scholarship and queer theory. This paper overviews LatCrit’s foundational propositions, key contributions, and ongoing efforts to cultivate new generations of ethical advocates who can systemically analyze the sociolegal conditions that engender injustice and intervene strategically to help create enduring sociolegal, and cultural, change. The paper organizes this conversation highlighting Latcrit’s theory, community and praxis.

Situating Institutional Responses to Latina Intimate Partner Violence Victims: An Argument for a LatCrit Lens

Existing critical theoretical frameworks have been useful for understanding institutional responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) among victims of Color. The present theoretical paper extends upon these earlier approaches by using a LatCrit theory and praxis lens to situate institutional responses to Latina IPV victims specifically. Through a LatCrit lens, this essay addresses three interrelated themes that address challenges for Latina IPV victims, including: racialized indeterminacy, hegemonic representation, and the criminal legal system as a racialized organization. Theoretical implications, future research, and recommendations are discussed.

How to Help

This chapter describes the graduate school experience of one Latina social worker as she entered what is known as a “helping profession.” Taboada critically examines how she learns to navigate the legacy of white privilege and power engrained in the curriculum, as well as in her field training. Using the Lens of Critical Race and LatCrit Theory, the chapter zooms in on the isolation experienced by lack of diversity in social work graduate school programs and highlights the irony of this gap as social workers are trained to serve predominantly low-income communities of color.

The Sociopolitical Turn in Mathematics Education

Over the past decade, the mathematics education research community has incorporated more sociocultural perspectives into its ways of understanding and examining teaching and learning. However, researchers who have a long history of addressing anti-racism and social justice issues in mathematics have moved beyond this sociocultural view to espouse sociopolitical concepts and theories, highlighting identity and power at play. This article highlights some promising conceptual tools from critical theory (including critical race theory/Latcrit theory) and post-structuralism and makes an argument for why taking the sociopolitical turn is important for both researchers and practitioners. Potential benefits and challenges of this turn are also discussed.