Convivencias across space and time within educational history: a critical race feminista approach

Abstract

This paper extends Critical Race Feminista Methodological (CRFM) approaches by contending that convivencias− the coexistence necessary for creating relationships in the field − are an integral part of engaging research collaborators within educational historical research. Drawing on oral histories with Chicana/o librarians, personal collections, and archival sources, I outline the convivencias I shared with librarians that span across spatial and temporal dimensions. These interactions were centered on recollecting, remembering, and learning about the activism within Latina/o/x chidlren’s literture and librarianship’s history. Convivencias across space were possible through diverse interactions, such as in-person meetings, phone conversations, video conferences, and emails. Convivencias across time are represented by the continuity of sustained efforts to advance social justice in librarianship across multiple decades. The conceptualization of convivencias across space and time emerged as a CRFM tool that aims to center seldomly documented narratives of activism essential for fostering connections, cultivating community memories, and nuancing historical educational research.