A First-Generation Scholar’s Camino de Conocimiento

Abstract

As a first-generation scholar, Laura I Rendón employs Gloria Anzaldúa’s radical genre of autobiographical writing, termed autohistoria and autohistoria-teoría, which disrupts colonial forms of expression and inquiry and which transcends traditional Western autobiographical forms (Keating, A.L.. 2009. Introduction. In A. L. Keating (Ed.), The Gloria Anzaldu´a Reader (pp. 1–15). Durham: Duke University Press). To expand on her memoir, Rendón also employs Anzaldúa’s (2015. In A. L. Keating (Ed.), Light in the dark/Luz en lo oscuro. Rewriting identity, spirituality, reality. Durham: Duke University Press) seven stages of conocimiento to chart her life story as it progresses from experiencing disruptive life events to undergoing a personal transformation and finding a greater sense of enlightenment. While the first part of the memoir is focused on Rendón’s life story, the second part discusses Rendón’s views on what the future holds for higher education, including exciting and challenging developments.