Abstract
In this chapter, I situate my own positionality as a once undocumented Guatemalan immigrant. I describe my experience of hyperdocumentation—the effort to accrue awards, accolades, and eventually academic degrees to compensate for my undocumented status. In spite of my visible successes and naturalization, I discuss how I still confront the rage and intolerance of American “commonsense” beliefs about immigration. My narrative questions the pursuit of documentation as a means to legitimacy and acceptance in American society. This introduction lays the foundation for my argument and outlines the chapters to follow.
This chapter as article was originally published in 2011 and is reprinted with permission given by the publishers (Chang 2011).
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- 1.
INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) ceased to exist on March 1, 2003 (1933–2003). Since then, its primary functions are now housed in what is known as the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of the Department of Homeland Security.
- 2.
American Legion Auxiliary, http://www.boysandgirlsstate.org/girls.html.
- 3.
The name is a pseudonym and permission was provided to use the e-mail.
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Chang, A. (2018). Undocumented to Hyperdocumented: A Jornada of Papers, Protection, and PhD Status. In: The Struggles of Identity, Education, and Agency in the Lives of Undocumented Students. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64614-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64614-5_2
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