Anthology

At Latina Futures, we are committed to translating scholarly research into tangible actions that benefit the Latina community. Our flagship research project, the Latina Futures Anthology, embodies this mission by cultivating novel insights that advance real-world solutions to achieve gender parity. By leveraging unprecedented resources to interrogate the economic, political, and social status of Latinas in the U.S., the Anthology represents a scholarly tool that will undoubtedly spur new intellectual inquiries to combat the invisibility facing the nation’s Latina demographic.  This comprehensive anthology will serve as the foundation for a series of convenings and conferences to not only increase the representation and advancement of Latina scholars, but also promote further study of Latinas and other similarly situated groups by U.S.-based scholars. 

Latina Futures is committed to collaboration; the Anthology will integrate the deep expertise of community leaders and policy stakeholders through formal workshops with scholars. Together, scholars and civil society partners will discuss and advance evidence-based recommendations to advance gender parity. This will increase the experience and fluency of junior scholars engaging in public research, while also exposing civil society to a dynamic cadre of new experts. The Anthology will be accessible to community organizations and policymakers, extending the findings and insights beyond academic circles to provide practical guidance for these stakeholders to create narrative shifts. 

The anthology will focus on topics like reproductive rights, as well as the experiences of childcare providers, Indigenous Latinas, Trans Latinas and Afro-Latinas.  The anthology includes work from scholars like Karina Chavarria (CSU Channel Islands) who is administering surveys to address the educational and labor market experiences of young adult Latinas and Latinos in Oxnard. The mixed-method data will assist in identifying ongoing challenges Latinas and Latinos face in pursuing as well as completing a postsecondary education. Further, the interviews will help us understand the ways family responsibilities, work experience, and racialization and belonging shape the labor force participation of young adult Latinas and Latinos in Oxnard. Social scientist Tanya Sanabria will be analyzing Latina’s upward mobility by examining the barriers and opportunities in higher education for Latinas after Covid-19.

In addition to advancing scholarly attention to the experience of Latinas in the U.S., the Anthology is also a programmatic vehicle to strengthen the mobility and opportunity of Latina scholars. By identifying, commissioning, and publishing cutting-edge scholarship from emerging and mid-career scholars, the Anthology is providing necessary research support from funding to professional editing services at a critical point in a scholar’s career. The Anthology not only provides an unmatched opportunity for junior scholars to advance their research agendas focused on Latina life, but it also enhances their professional knowledge through a formal mentorship program that pairs them with distinguished scholars in their field. Fostering collaboration between scholars at various stages of their careers facilitates the exchange of ideas and supports a vibrant, multi-generational ecosystem of scholars equipped to successfully mentor and support future generations of academics.