UC Berkeley

In recent years, the marginal status of Latino boys has garnered political attention. From the Obama Foundation to California’s Select Committee on Boys and Men of Color, these policy makers center around an alleged commitment to academic success. Few studies, however, focus on the experiences of high-performing Latino boys and employ a critique of “merit” itself. My dissertation research probes further with a three-fold purpose: (1) examine the way political discourses via government documents and mainstream media construct notions of merit and deservingness, (2) examine the way high-performing Latino boys resist or reproduce political discourses, and (3) examine the experiences of high-performing Latino boys via a social justice curriculum. My dissertation takes place at a high school in the Bay Area of Northern California and highlights the experiences of 14 Latino boys as they apply to top-tier universities. I employ the lenses of Critical Social Theory and Critical Discourse Studies to conduct a content analysis of political discourse and media coverage, as well as ethnographic methods to examine the experiences of high-performing Latino boys. This work aims to challenge our understanding of academic success—going beyond cognitive skill sets into a more social, political, and performative realm. Central to this work is a critical examination of the role of race, gender, and neoliberalism in shaping political discourses and student trajectories. Special attention to resistance, social reproduction, and Latino male identity will provide fruitful avenues to reimagine education and build transformative academic spaces.