“¿Tiene papeles?”: Romantic relationships, citizenship status, and the borderlands
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Authors
Santiago Gomez, Laura
Issue Date
2023
Type
Thesis
Language
Keywords
borderlands , coming out , DACA , mixed-status , romantic relationships , Undocumented
Alternative Title
Abstract
Romantic relationships are a hot topic in interpersonal communication studies. Mostly centering white, heterosexual, middle-class participants, interpersonal communication scholarship often forgets to center the voices and perspectives of people with marginalized and intersectional identities. This study centers undocumented people and those with temporary protective status, specifically focusing on the impact their immigration status and recent anti-Latino rhetoric has on their identity and the process in which they forge and establishing romantic relationships. An online survey containing open-ended questions was distributed, asking participants to share their thoughts on dating as an undocumented individual. Utilizing UndocuCrit Theory and the Constitutive Model of Coming Out along with other theoretical frameworks rooted in intersectional identities, the data was heuristically interpreted to reveled three major themes. The results found are discussed along with a larger discussion on the insights obtained from the process, which is crucial for future work and consideration, are discussed in the final chapter.