The Tejano History Curriculum Project: Creating a Space for Authoring Tejanas/os into the Social Studies Curriculum

Utilizing a figured worlds and critical historical inquiry framework, this qualitative study examined how the Tejano History Curriculum Project provided opportunities for prospective and practicing bilingual educators to challenge long-standing and problematic depictions of Tejana/o histories in Texas. This study examined how these teachers produced spaces for authoring new identities for inclusion in the social studies curriculum. The engagement of prospective teachers at Central University and practicing teachers of elementary students in activities and practices that centered on creating meaningful cultural artifacts is highlighted. These cultural artifacts drew on the lives and experiences of teachers and their students as Tejanas/os, centering their productions as valuable contributors to Texas history.