The Ambiguity of (non)Belonging - Latinx Teachers Negotiate Critical Social Studies in the U.S. South

Oct 15, 2026

This comparative case study examines the experiences of two Latinx high school social studies teachers in the U.S. Southeast who practice critical social studies without substantive school support. The study describes how their school spaces and experiences overlap while they often feel outside the traditional curriculum, navigating color-evasive schooling and dominant racial-ethnic categories. Drawing on a double-bind framing, it identifies “the ambiguity of (non)belonging” as a context that both fuels and flattens their drive to persist in critical teaching amid political, emotional, and pedagogical labor.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Teacher Representation

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| The Ambiguity of (non)Belonging: Latinx Teachers Negotiate Critical Social Studies in the U.S. South | | --- | --- | Timothy Monreal, University at Buffalo Christoph Stutts, Meredith College Abstract This comparative case study examines the experiences of two Latinx teachers in the Southeastern United States who navigate critical social studies without substantive support in their schools. Their school spaces and experiences are myriad and overlapping, but generally the teachers describe being outside the traditional social studies curriculum, the color evasive, progressive project of U.S. schooling, and the dominant racial-ethnic categories ofthe U.S. South. Similar to Colomer’s (2019) articulation of the double-bind experienced more generally by Latinx teachers in the South, we found the two teachers navigated contexts that were made more meaningful and more hostile because of their presence and praxis. We name this type of double bind unique to Latinx Social Studies teachers in the South as the ambiguity of (non)belonging. We aim to center the efforts of these two teachers and highlight the ambiguities of (non)belonging that simultaneously fuel and flatten their drive to continue as critical social studies teachers in the U.S South. Keywords: Teacher Representatio;, Teacher Identity; Critical Social Studies; New Latinx South; Belonging Introduction Using a comparative case study approach, this paper examines the personal and professional lives of two Latinx 1 high school social studies teachers in the United States Southeast (SE) who share a commitment to a socially-just, anti-racist praxis. We examine how the two teachers navigate amore critical approach to the social studies within broadly unsupportive spaces. These spaces are myriad and overlapping, but generally the teachers describe being outside the traditional social studies curriculum, the color evasive, progressive project of U.S. schooling, and the dominant racial-ethnic categories of the U.S. South. We aim to center the efforts of these two teachers who struggle for a reimagined social studies across understudied positional geographies (Latinx SS 1. We use Latinx as an inclusive term that represents a spectrum of gender identity rather than the masculine/feminine binary of Latina/o. The term“Hispanic” is an official identification category promoted by the U.S. government for people from Spanish speaking countries. Hispanic is still a norm for government statistics, therefore, when referencing government, and other statistical, data we keep reference terminology as it often corresponds to survey methodology (i.e. Latinx is not a U.S. Census category) . teacher in the SE), and highlight the ambiguities of (non)belonging that simultaneously fuel and flatten their drive to continue as critical social studies teachers in the SE. This ambiguity of (non)belonging speaks to the necessities, limitations, and complexities of viewing teaching, and toa degree, themselves through a framework of resistance. Such an understanding is crucial in honoring the political, emotional, and pedagogical labor of resistance, while also highlighting (and not romanticizing) the same political, emotional, and pedagogical toll such work takes. This carries importance for both the quality and teaching of social studies and also the retention of (critical) teachers of color. Furthermore, this investigation is significant not only as it speaks to three burgeoning lines of academic inquiry—teacher representation (Boser, 2014; Childs, 2019; Villegas & Irvine, 2010;), critical social studies (Brown & Brown, 2015; Mills, 1997; Rodríguez & Swalwell, 2021; Patel, 2017; Sabzalian, 2019; VanSledright, 2008), and El Sur Latinx (Monreal & Tirado, 2022, Guerrero, 2017; Jones, 2019)—but also because there is a dearth of research about the intersection of this triad. The article proceeds in the following manner. First, we briefly situate the two teachers’contexts by drawing from the

FAQs

What does the study examine and where is it set?

It examines two Latinx high school social studies teachers in the U.S. Southeast and how they navigate critical social studies within broadly unsupportive school spaces.

What framework does the paper introduce for these teachers’ experiences?

The paper names the central double-bind unique to Latinx social studies teachers in the South as the “ambiguity of (non)belonging,” describing how it simultaneously fuels and flattens their drive to continue.

Which literature strands does the paper use in its literature review?

It draws on teacher representation, the contours of El Sur Latinx, and scholarship on critical social studies to sketch the microgeographies of teacher experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

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