Latina faculty in the Labyrinth: constructing and contesting legitimacy in Hispanic serving institutions

This paper focuses on the presence and experiences of Latina academics in the US, especially those who serve in Hispanic Serving Institutions. Following the theme of this special issue related to Women of Color Faculty's Testimonios and Laberintos, the researchers add to the notion of academia as a labyrinth, suggesting that it is a pathway with many twists and turns, each of which presents an opportunity, a possibility, and of course, a responsibility. It is clear that across academia and the field of higher education, legitimacy is an important resource that Latinas, as women of color, seem to always be working in cognizance or towards. Using critical neo-institutional and intersectionality lenses to examine Latina faculty members' experiences highlights how these faculty negotiate institutional legitimacy in their positions. While some research has employed an intersectionality lens to understand the experiences of faculty of color, it has focused primarily on individuals' experiences, behaviors, and perceptions, rather than how these faculty negotiate institutional norms of legitimacy.