Chicanas, Higher Education, and the Creation of Mestiza Spirituality

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the role and effect of higher education on Chicana's religious beliefs and practices. It has been noted by Chicana scholars Theresa Delgadillo (2003) and Jeanette Rodriguez (2004) that Chicana students negotiate their religious and cultural ways of knowing with the new environment and ideas of a University. This thesis examines how this negotiation occurs and how Chicana students understand and create their religious identity during their college years.Using short questionnaires and focus groups, twenty undergraduate Chicana women participated in this research. Major findings for this study indicate that Chicana students are attending church less (55%) and negotiating Catholicism to form and practice their own Mestiza spirituality. The women utilize a mestiza spirituality that incorporates prayer, as well as indigenous practices and beliefs to practice their faith.