Immigrant Faculty in the Academy

Maysaa Barakat is Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at Florida Atlantic University, USA.Mariela A. Rodríguez is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio, USA. She is Past-President of University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).

"The immigrant journeys of these professors are compelling! We see that identities are not fixed and that communities evolve over time. We learn that academics can make a contribution toward a more equitable and just society, where exclusion and assimilation are rejected and pluralism is embraced in ways that value the cultural contributions of immigrants. A must read!"— Miriam D. Ezzani, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership, Texas Christian University"Immigration is one of the most polarizing, controversial, and divisive issues in the United States today. Maysaa Barakat and Mariela Rodríguez’s timely volume speaks to these issues in a must-read collection of the lived experiences faced by immigrant academics in the United States. Each story shares the ways familial, political, cultural, social, and economic dynamics shape their perceptions, understandings, and work as educators. This book is a celebration of spirit, acumen, and theoretical insights that that should not be missed." — Melanie C. Brooks, Senior Lecturer of Educational Leadership, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia"This book can facilitate dialogues about how to serve growing numbers of immigrant students with cultural responsiveness, encourage attention and opportunities to the silenced faculty voices and, more importantly, manifest actions and activism for the pursuit of pluralism, equality, self-determination, and respect of cultural, linguistic and simply human differences."—Yih Ren, Journal of Faculty Development

• 1. Introduction Part I. Borders That Needs To Be Crossed: Navigating Belonging To Two Cultures 2. Huītzilin The Traveler: Exploring The Edges Of Identity And Leadership 3. The Nuance Of Living And Working In The Gray Spaces Of Language/s And Culture/s: My Immigrant Experience 4. Predicting Success Through Inquiry: A Story Of A Latina Professor Part II. Traveling Through Hegemonic Social Structures: A Call For Action And Advocacy 5. Autoethnography Of A Latino Scholar: Farmworker, Practitioner And Scholar 6. An Immigrant Professor’s Critical Reflection In Private And Public Spaces: How Context In The United States Changes Identity 7. Navigating Identity And Consciousness As An "Outsider": Professional Integration At The Intersections Of Gender, Nationality And Critical Scholarship 8. Inmigrantes Presente: Testimonio Of Two Mexican Immigrant Women Reflecting On Their Educational Experiences Part III. What Constitutes "Home"? Oscillating Between Physical, Emotional And Spiritual Parameters 8. Reflections Of A Retired Professor On His Journey From Egypt To The United States 10. From South America To South Florida: Risks And Rewards For Senior International Students 11. Fulfilling The Intergenerational Contract: A Southeast Asian American Professor’s Journey (Away From) Home 12. Final Reflections: Lessons Learned From The Immigrants’ Experience: A Call To Action And Advocacy