Intersectional approaches to educational trajectories in public universities

Abstract

This article is part of an ongoing doctoral research project in which we analyze how socioeconomic, political-institutional, pedagogical-curricular, and subjective dimensions intertwine in the construction of educational trajectories at the National University of Río Cuarto (UNRC), from a perspective that articulates law, complexity, and intersectionality. We understand trajectories as nonlinear processes, situated and influenced by power relations, in which access, continuity, and graduation are configured at the intersection of structural, institutional, and subjective dimensions. We adopt a complex and situated view of the right to higher education as a public and collective good, which requires inclusive policies that recognize and redress historical inequalities. Through the analysis of three experiences—of continuity, discontinuity, and disaffiliation—we unravel the ways in which inequalities and privileges are articulated in educational journeys, influencing turning points and the (im)possibilities of sustaining academic life. The analysis encompasses three levels: structural (intersections between class, gender, and territory), institutional (critique of the pedagogical and epistemic model), and the practices of resistance, contestation, and reaffiliation that enable new meanings and ways of inhabiting the university in diverse contexts. We also highlight the power of sensitive and integrated methodologies that enable reflective and redefining narratives for those who share them. We conclude that the public university is a contested space between logics of inclusion and exclusion and transformative projects. We are committed to advancing toward a university that accommodates diverse trajectories and promotes educational, epistemic, gender, and social justice.