Date of Degree

12-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Education

Advisor

Alfredo Ortiz Aragón

Advisor

Alison Buck

Advisor

James Simpson

Abstract

A JOURNEY TO THE MIDWEST FOR MIGRANT FARMWORK: WOMEN’S TESTIMONIES EXAMINING THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES USING AUTOETHNOGRAPHY AND PLÁTICA

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

Yesenia Garza Alcalá, Master of Business Administration

University of the Incarnate Word 2026

The purpose of my research was to share the stories of five women who experienced a yearly migratory routine from Del Rio, Texas, to work in farms and factories in the Midwest, and how that annual journey shaped and educated us. The women are four of my older sisters and me, all of whom traveled and worked in the Princeville, Illinois, migrant camp, where we experienced the lifestyle as children, teenage workers, and some of us as parents, chasing the benefits of seasonal migrant farmwork. Our stories were based on our experiences with migrant farmwork culture, memories of our yearly travels from Texas to Illinois, work experiences in the fields and factories, home life at the migrant camp, childhood memories, and our education as migrant students. The transitional phases from our childhood to adulthood are due to each of us being born and raised as migrants. Yet, we each left the migrant labor world between the years 1977 and 1999, moving on to other careers and journeys. By sharing our stories, my sisters and I have elaborated on our most cherished memories and lived experiences at the migrant camp and made connections to who we have become in life since. My study provided a way for the seasonal migrant woman to express her lived experiences, help others understand what takes place in her life, and educate others on why and how she lived this type of lifestyle for many years. My research captured important aspects of the lives of hardworking women, their motivations to

Abstract—Continued

continue their long journey to work year after year within the United States, and their courage to break barriers in a male-dominated Latino environment. My qualitative study used methodologies that best capture the seasonal migrant farm working journey and culture, namely, autoethnography, and interrelated forms of narrative inquiry, plátìcas (intimate/casual conversation), and testimonio (testimony). Importantly, the main method I used was a road trip with my sisters back to the Princeville migrant camp, where we retraced our memories and shared stories of what the annual journey meant to us. Collectively, these four approaches helped the women participants and me, as the researcher, to share and describe our seasonal migrant women farmworker stories from our own experiences and memories. My research captured their reflections of a time when they used to travel for farmwork, their experiences in school, how they would assimilate into a different culture in the Midwest, why their families did this type of work for so many years, and how, year after year, they managed to pick up their belongings and go to work in a place far away from their home. The stories are new knowledge that helps us understand the important seasonal farmwork culture, about which little is known. There is more than just farmwork, and I know this because I have lived that life. Their oral histories of these women, who range from 50 to 70 years old, represent a third and fourth generation of continuous migrant farmwork. In addition to the road trip, I also generated data through one-on-one in-person interviews, focus groups, phone, texting, photo sharing, field notes, and journaling. I organized each participant’s story in a thematic framework through coding, charting, mapping, and the interpretation process. Why they continued or changed their path of migrant work is supported by their personal testimonio (testimonies). The migrant women’s testimonios are their voices in the composition of their story. Thematic meta-analysis (Saldaña, 2021) is focused on

Abstract—Continued

interpreting meaning and developing descriptive themes. My research revealed three integral themes and insights that derived from the thematic meta-analysis: (a) familismo, (b) healing through storytelling, and (c) personal development, each emphasizing the importance of the participants’ connection with their parents, siblings, and migrant camp community. The types of education the participants received ranged from formal education to self-directed learning and realization. Realization is the outcome and transformation phase that each participant experienced for their own self-discovery. My research uncovered assumptions, belief systems, and societal norms that the American migrant women experienced as they came to live this migratory life with their parents as a source of income and a better way of life. My study contributes new knowledge in the form of storytelling in a collection of women’s personal experiences, highlighting their most memorable moments and challenges during their many journeys to the Midwest. Our journey of reflection into our migrant past was an adult learning experience, embracing our memories, Hispanic core values, and self-discovery, which were the most significant themes in our stories. Three goals were accomplished through my research: (a) raising awareness and increasing visibility for the migrant women, (b) inspiring Latino women by providing insights about the lived experiences of migrant women, and (c) contributing to scholarship by generating a positive perspective on the seasonal migrant farm, which consists of workers assimilating into a migratory lifestyle and adapting for the sustainability of their households. My study presents stories about women’s experiences, an oral history of their lives written in a narrative form to serve as a learning tool, examining women’s ways of knowing in a culture that is unknown or little-known, yet needs to be known.

Additional Files
Yesenia Alcala - Final_Accepted_6-9-2026.pdf (8711 kB)
Final version
Download

Share

COinS