The Power of Names in Identity and Oppression: Narratives for Equity in Higher Education and Student Affairs

Stories and personal narratives are powerful tools for engaging in self-reflection and application of critical theory in higher educational contexts. This edited text centers name stories as a vehicle to promote readers’ understanding of social identity, oppression, and intersectionality in a variety of educational contexts from residence halls and classrooms to faculty development workshops and executive leadership board rooms. The contributors in this volume reveal how names may serve as entry points through which to foster learning and facilitate conversations about identity, power, privilege, and systems of oppression. Through an intersectional perspective, chapter authors reveal interlocking systems of oppression in education while also providing recommendations, lessons learned, reflection questions, and calls to action for those working to transform and advance equity-minded campus climates.

This unique volume is for educators at colleges and universities doing equity work, seeking ways to initiate, facilitate, and maintain rich conversations about identity.