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Undocumented and Unafraid: Understanding the Disclosure Management Process for Undocumented College Students and Graduates
- Journal of College Student Development
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 57, Number 6, September 2016
- pp. 715-729
- 10.1353/csd.2016.0070
- Article
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Abstract:
Previous qualitative studies on undocumented college students have primarily focused on their lived experiences; however, little research has been done to consider the disclosure process or identity management for undocumented students, particularly students who self-identify as “undocumented and unafraid.” Using research on legal consciousness and disclosure of hidden identities, I employed Latin@ critical race theory as an analytic lens to examine the many processes through which undocumented students “come out” within the context of higher education and beyond. Based on interviews with 7 Latin@ undocumented college students and graduates, in this article I explore 3 themes: biographical construction of legal status, the fluidity of fear, and empowered disclosure.