Heridas y Sanación Colectiva: The Path of Conocimiento as a Muxerista-Jotería Framework for Queer Latinx/a/o Research in Higher Education

Abstract

I assert that the path of conocimiento (Anzaldúa, 2002), as a Muxerista-Jotería framework, captures the pain and wounds, the messiness of non-linear development, and the possibilities of transformation for queer Latinx/a/o people (Orozco, 2025a, 2025b); and it is necessary for the future of queer Latinx/a/o research and practice in higher education. I contend with the following question: How can Anzaldúa’s (2002) path of conocimiento guide epistemologically grounded, relational, and reflexive approaches as transformative practices in higher education research with queer Latinx/a/o people? Using the Muxerista Activist Consciousness Development Framework as an example, I name how the path of conocimiento informed each part of the research design process, including the initial catalyst for pursuing this line of inquiry, the methodological decisions, including identifying and selecting collaborators^[1], the data collection process, the questions I developed for the pláticas with collaborators, and the ways I interpreted the data and generated the finding. I offer several reflection questions for researchers and scholars who want to engage the path of conocimiento in their work with queer Latinx/a/o people. Ultimately, engaging the path of conocimiento is about being attuned to the worldmaking capacities of queer Latinx/a/o communities within and beyond higher education.