Dropping the "I"

Date

Location

VU 735 (Multicultural Center Multipurpose Room) & Online via Zoom

Description

Join us in VU 735 or on Zoom for a presentation by Dr. Claudia Evans-Zepeda, author and Communications professor at California State University-Fullerton. Dr. Evans-Zepeda will discuss the importance of language use, specifically focusing on legality and dropping the "I". This session is intended for staff and faculty, but all are welcome.


Discussion Topic:
Language and Labels and their Impact on Undocumented Identity. In this session, I trace the lexicology of immigration terms, focusing on the dominant discursive construction of the undocumented migrant through metaphors. Given the power of terminology such as “Illegal Alien”, I feature research about the Drop the I-Word campaign to eradicate the dehumanizing i-word (“illegals”) from common usage and public discourse, the consequences of the terminology “illegal,” and the redefining/relabeling strategies of the undocumented immigrant youth movement. I conclude the session with suggestions for re-imagining the communicative possibilities about this important social justice issue.

Speaker Bio:
Claudia A. Evans-Zepeda (Ph.D., University of New Mexico) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Communication Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Her scholarship focuses on the communicative/rhetorical intersections of culture, identity labels, and the role of race in migration, particularly within the context of social justice advocacy. A former undocumented migrant herself, she is committed to researching social movements seeking socio-political equality and rhetorical protest practices against vitriolic anti-immigrant discourse. Engaging in the fields of communication studies, critical race theory, and Latino Studies, she has presented her research at numerous conferences and immigrant-rights events. Prior and current research projects examining Latinx youth activism appear in numerous edited book volumes. She has contributed her work and co-authored manuscripts to various journals including Critical Studies in Media Communication, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Chicana/Latina Journal, Women's Studies in Communication Journal, Review of Communication, Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, Journal of International & Intercultural Communication, and Communication Monographs, among others.


AA/EO. Accessibility Statement: This event is intended for all participants, including those with visible or non-apparent disabilities.  For disability accommodation(s) (such as ASL interpretation, etc.) please contact the ADEI Unit, ess.adei@wwu.edu. Advance notice is appreciated and sometimes necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.