In a State of Becoming: How Institutions Communicate Asian American and Pacific Islander- and Latinx-Servingness Through Campus Artifacts

Abstract

This study examines the ways campus artifacts communicate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)- and Latinx-servingness at dually designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Using critical ethnographic methods, the researchers collected data at three AANAPISI- HSIs regionally concentrated in a western state. Findings from this study reveal that the campus environments of the three institutions were in a state of flux and are captured through two interconnected themes that emerged from the data: striving to become and undermining progress towards becoming. This study has implications for understanding how AANAPISI-HSIs communicate AAPI- and Latinx-servingness through campus artifacts.