Date of Award

2026

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Education, PhD

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Linda Perkins

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Gilda Ochoa

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Daniel Solórzano

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2026 Monique Posadas

Keywords

Identity-based professional organizations, Latine student success, Muxerista Leadership, Muxerista/Femtorship Spectrum, Spiritual Enactments

Subject Categories

Education | Latin American Studies | Social and Cultural Anthropology

Abstract

Membership and participation in national associations or professional societies are the cornerstone of academic and career advancement in higher education. These organizations allow faculty and career professionals to connect and grow their networks. However, like other social structures, they can also reflect, reinforce, and reify exclusionary colonial, hegemonic norms. Professionalization for people of color in the academy, through formalized organizations and societies, was grossly delayed, despite the emergence of “mother societies” at the turn of the century. Academics of color took matters into their own hands to build professional networks. While associations are assumed to be academic and professionally rich environments for members, we lack a substantial body of empirical data on members' experiences across age groups, career stages, and levels of participation within organizations. Particularly sparse in the scholarly literature is research on Latine academic professional organizations and on the educational and career outcomes of members of identity-based organizations. This dissertation is a three-study project that explores a Latinx national association and the experiences of its members who engaged with the organization to gain insight into the interplay between relationships of care, which created both intentional and unintentional impacts on social life and career trajectories. The purpose of this project is twofold: 1) to document basic information about the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) since there is no empirical historical record, and 2) to understand the experiences of its members. Using three distinct research methods across three groups within the organization, this project will examine the experiences of members of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE). Using an autoethnographic narrative, what has been my experience as a Graduate Student Board Member-at-Large and Graduate Student Fellow within the organization? Using an oral history method, what have been the participation experiences of a former AAHHE President? And lastly, using a testimonio methodology, what are the experiences of former AAHHE Graduate Fellows during and after their participation in the program?

ISBN

9798244834772

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