A Map for Social Change

Latino Students Engage a Praxis of Ethnography

Abstract

*Youth and School Transformation | Research Articles

This article discusses how praxis and ethnography combine in a unique social science program called the Social Justice Education Project (SJEP). The SJEP is implemented in a high school in Tucson, Arizona. The program centers on students implementing participatory action research that investigates how young people experience social inequalities in and beyond education. Students learn ethnographic research methods, including participant observation, interview techniques, photo documentation, and videography. Their ethnography serves as a vehicle for action that addresses the inequalities they experience in their everyday lives. The ethnography also serves as an entryway into praxis, in which students gain a clear view of the oppressive forces impeding their self-determination. They also discover new possibilities for challenging these obstacles. A praxis of ethnography expands the students’ critical consciousness and enlivens their capacities to seek changes in their environment.