Working en comunidad

Service-Learning and Community Engagement with U.S. Latinas/os/es

Edited by Elena Foulis, Stacey Alex, and Glenn A. Martínez

The University of Arizona Press

Working in community is critical to several fields. Working en comunidad focuses on service-learning and Latina/o/e communities within a variety of institutional contexts. It provides a practical framework grounded in theoretical approaches that center Latina/o/e experiences as foundational to understanding how to prepare students to work in the community and en comunidad.

The volume tackles three major themes: ethical approaches to working with Latina/o/e communities within language courses and beyond; preparing Latina/o/e students for working with their own communities in different environments; and ensuring equitable practices and building relationships that are mutually beneficial for students and community members. The editors forward two central arguments: (1) Equitable community engagement in higher education is a reflective and reciprocal process that develops empathy and personal and professional growth in students; and (2) service-learning is most transformative when it explicitly guides students and the community to build cultural humility and recognize Latina/o/e experiences and agency as foundational to the learning process.

Many of the contributors and editors are Latina/o/e-identified scholars, practitioners, and researchers, who lend a rich body of experience and a personal dedication to this work. They present distinct approaches and geographies, as well as range of institutions, to offer a wide scope of engaged work that builds on the concept of comunidad to advance a critical new conceptual framework of equitable education and racial justice.

Contributors
Stacey Alex
Elena Foulis
Christina García
Catherine Komisaruk
Kelly Lowther Pereira
Glenn Martínez
María Luisa Parra-Velasco

Reviews
Editor

A diverse set of reflections on the importance of service-learning [with] Latinx communities, this volume is a testimonio, scholarly intervention, and practical guide for any educator who seeks to authentically engage in the praxis of progressive learning while addressing community needs. By centering on critical service-learning theories and practices that honor the diverse experiences and complexity of this community’s racialized identity and language, this innovative work provides a ripe opportunity to broaden critical discourses around equitable education and racial justice in higher education.’—Aurora Chang, George Mason University

‘Makes great contributions to the field as it presents unique cases of scholar-practitioners who have been successful in implementing service-learning in their practice. This book is highly recommended for educators who seek to use their practice to lead to sustainable change while empowering students and communities.’—Rosa D. Manzo, University of California, Merced

Elena Foulis is an assistant professor and program director of Spanish Language Studies at Texas A&M University–San Antonio and director of the oral history project Oral Narratives of Latin@s in Ohio since 2014.

Stacey Alex is an assistant professor of Spanish at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa, the co-author of a Mi idioma, mi comunidad: Español para bilingües, and a researcher who examines how undocumented Latina/o/e communities create a sense of belonging through cultural and narrative resistance.

Glenn Martínez is a professor of Spanish, bilingual/bicultural studies, and public health, and the dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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