Challenging “Citizen Science”: Liminal Status Students and Community-Engaged Research

Esa Syeed, Abigail Rosas, Farah Hammam, Sherry Shen and Fatima Zeferino
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Esa Syeed: College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90804, USA
Abigail Rosas: College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90804, USA
Farah Hammam: College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90804, USA
Sherry Shen: College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90804, USA
Fatima Zeferino: College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90804, USA

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: The problematic term “citizen science” continues to circulate in scholarly circles and points to challenges with how researchers may conceptualize who takes part in community-engaged inquiry. Emerging from experiences with a research team intentionally comprised of students who are undocumented, political asylees, and those belonging to mixed status families, we seek to center how immigration status can inform justice-oriented research processes. By focusing on students experiencing liminal status, we note both the structural barriers they face as well as their agency. Through a critical reflexive process, we outline four key tensions that address skills, authenticity, inclusivity, and possibilities relevant to mixed status teams conducting community-engaged research. By exploring how citizenship status impacts research at epistemological and applied levels, we arrive at more inclusive and just possibilities for community-engaged research.

Keywords: liminal status; undocumented students; reflexivity; community-engaged research; higher education; immigration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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