Liliana M Garces
Biographic Data
| ID | 4496691 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Liliana M Garces |
| GIVEN NAMES | Liliana M |
| FAMILY NAME | Garces |
| SIGNATURE | GARCÊS L M |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Texas at Austin |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8224-0512 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 123 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Legislating Epistemic Oppression
We argue that anti-“DEI” legislation constitutes a form of state-sanctioned epistemic oppression that reproduces racial hierarchies by restructuring the boundaries of knowledge in U.S. higher education. Through a critical case study of Texas Senate Bill 17 at a public university in the state, we examine how this law operates as a racial project, invalidating intellectual and situated knowledge tied to racial justice, constraining equity-oriented …
Introduction
We’re on Our Own Out Here”
Beyond Legal Constraints
Supreme Court rulings prevent public institutions from censoring hate speech for content—even if that content has damaging consequences for marginalized students and conflicts with other institutional objectives. This case study examines administrator responses to hate speech and impacts for racial inclusion at a private university unconstrained by First Amendment protections. The findings illustrate that, even in contexts where administrators ha…
A Call to Counter Repressive Legalism
A Call to Counter Repressive Legalism:Addressing the Implications of SFFA v. Harvard Nicole C. Ngaosi (bio) and Liliana M. Garces (bio) Opponents of race-based affirmative action in higher education have challenged the policy and practice since its inception. The sustained opposition resulted in a series of legal cases that have substantially chipped away at the practice, resulting in what is now termed "race-conscious" admissions (Garces, 2019).…
Racial Equity on College Campuses
Legal Challenges to Bias Response Teams on College Campuses
Over the last 3 years, the advocacy organization Speech First has filed six lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of bias response teams on the grounds that they violate free speech. Bias response teams are university-wide committees that respond to reports of racially charged incidents on college campuses to promote institutional goals of inclusion. These lawsuits are significant because they have resulted in the dismantling of these commit…
Racial Equity on College Campuses
Boundary Crossing Between Academia and Law
Social scientists’ involvement with the legal system is critical for tackling inequities in education and informing legal developments in ways that are grounded in empirical realities that document the myriad ways race shapes educational opportunity and outcomes. This study examined the experiences of social scientists who have participated in legal cases pertaining to education policy and equity. Drawing from the notion of boundary crossing to c…
Repressive Legalism
Guided by legal, sociolegal, and higher education concepts, we use an embedded case study of university administrators at a public institution to examine how they negotiate and institutionalize principles of freedom of expression and inclusion in responses to the proliferation of on-campus hate speech following the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Our findings reveal that an institution's legal context and administrators’ interpretations of law a…
Arguing race in higher education admissions
A Comprehensive and Practical Approach to Policy Guidance
As the federal entity in charge of enforcing civil rights law, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) plays a critical role in addressing the vast inequities that exist in U.S. education. Through an analysis of the policy guidance OCR issued for a number of areas during the Obama administration, we illustrate the agency’s comprehensive and practical approach to helping ensure that young people from different backgrounds …
Bridging Divides
Legal challenges continue to play central roles in critical higher education policy discussions. There are, however, wide gaps in understanding between the legal and research communities about the rigor and value of social science in legal decision-making—gaps that need to be addressed to improve the use of research in law. This study focuses on an underexamined viewpoint in the research use process—the producers of research—to examine their norm…
Addressing Racial Health Inequities
Racial and ethnic student body diversity is essential for medical schools to serve their educational mission of addressing racial and ethnic health inequities in the United States. Yet bans on the practice of affirmative action in six states have led to declines in students of color enrolled in medical schools. In this article, we examine prior stages that contribute to enrollment declines—namely, applications and admissions—to better inform educ…
A Strategic Racial Equity Framework
Despite the achievement of key civil rights milestones as well as growing public awareness and concern, educational inequities for students of color and other historically marginalized students con
Introduction to Beyond Interest Convergence
We have reached a critical moment in our nation when deep injustices and stark educational inequities for historically marginalized students, including students of color, threaten our fundamental d
Balancing Liberty and Equality
For the second time in three years, the Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of a race-conscious admissions policy at the University of Texas, Austin. While the case, Fisher v. University of Texas, raises questions specific to UT Austin, the Court’s second review could change the ways higher education institutions across the nation can legally consider race in their admissions policies. This essay considers the potential ramifications…
Racial Diversity in the Medical Profession
This study examines the impact of affirmative action bans in six states (California, Washington, Florida, Texas, Michigan, and Nebraska) on the matriculation rates of historically underrepresented students of color in public medical schools in these states. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to about a 17% decline (from 18.5% to 15.3%) in the first-time matriculation of medical school students who are underrepresented students of…
Beyond Declines in Student Body Diversity
Guided by a bottom-up policy implementation framework, this study draws from semi-structured interviews of 14 campus-level administrators charged with implementing diversity policy at the University of Michigan to investigate how an affirmative action ban (Proposal 2) influenced their efforts in support of racial/ethnic diversity at the university. Our findings show that beyond contributing to declines in student body diversity, laws like Proposa…
Expanding the Racial Diversity and Equity Agenda to Graduate Education
Aligning Diversity, Quality, and Equity
Diversity today is considered central to the capacity of postsecondary institutions to thrive in an increasingly multiracial and multiethnic society. However, as universities take steps to reap the educational benefits of racial and ethnic diversity, legal decisions and state laws increasingly restrict the tools these institutions have historically implemented to further this goal. This article provides an overview of these legal and public polic…
Dynamic Diversity
Through an analysis of relevant social science evidence, this article provides a deeper understanding of critical mass, a concept that has become central in litigation efforts related to affirmative action admissions policies that seek to further the educational benefits of diversity. We demonstrate that the concept of critical mass requires an understanding of the conditions needed for meaningful interactions and participation among students, gi…
Reflections on a Collaboration
Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study
This study examines the effects of affirmative action bans in four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Washington) on the enrollment of underrepresented students of color within six different graduate fields of study: the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, education, and humanities. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to the greatest reductions in science-related fields of engineering, the natural scienc…
Necessary but Not Sufficient
Dynamic Diversity
Through an analysis of relevant social science evidence, this article provides a deeper understanding of critical mass, a concept that has become central in litigation efforts related to affirmative action admissions policies that seek to further the educational benefits of diversity. We demonstrate that the concept of critical mass requires an understanding of the conditions needed for meaningful interactions and participation among students, gi…
Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study
This study examines the effects of affirmative action bans in four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Washington) on the enrollment of underrepresented students of color within six different graduate fields of study: the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, education, and humanities. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to the greatest reductions in science-related fields of engineering, the natural scienc…
Repressive Legalism
Guided by legal, sociolegal, and higher education concepts, we use an embedded case study of university administrators at a public institution to examine how they negotiate and institutionalize principles of freedom of expression and inclusion in responses to the proliferation of on-campus hate speech following the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Our findings reveal that an institution's legal context and administrators’ interpretations of law a…
We’re on Our Own Out Here”
Beyond Declines in Student Body Diversity
Guided by a bottom-up policy implementation framework, this study draws from semi-structured interviews of 14 campus-level administrators charged with implementing diversity policy at the University of Michigan to investigate how an affirmative action ban (Proposal 2) influenced their efforts in support of racial/ethnic diversity at the university. Our findings show that beyond contributing to declines in student body diversity, laws like Proposa…
Aligning Diversity, Quality, and Equity
Diversity today is considered central to the capacity of postsecondary institutions to thrive in an increasingly multiracial and multiethnic society. However, as universities take steps to reap the educational benefits of racial and ethnic diversity, legal decisions and state laws increasingly restrict the tools these institutions have historically implemented to further this goal. This article provides an overview of these legal and public polic…
A Comprehensive and Practical Approach to Policy Guidance
As the federal entity in charge of enforcing civil rights law, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) plays a critical role in addressing the vast inequities that exist in U.S. education. Through an analysis of the policy guidance OCR issued for a number of areas during the Obama administration, we illustrate the agency’s comprehensive and practical approach to helping ensure that young people from different backgrounds …
A Strategic Racial Equity Framework
Despite the achievement of key civil rights milestones as well as growing public awareness and concern, educational inequities for students of color and other historically marginalized students con
Addressing Racial Health Inequities
Racial and ethnic student body diversity is essential for medical schools to serve their educational mission of addressing racial and ethnic health inequities in the United States. Yet bans on the practice of affirmative action in six states have led to declines in students of color enrolled in medical schools. In this article, we examine prior stages that contribute to enrollment declines—namely, applications and admissions—to better inform educ…
Racial Diversity in the Medical Profession
This study examines the impact of affirmative action bans in six states (California, Washington, Florida, Texas, Michigan, and Nebraska) on the matriculation rates of historically underrepresented students of color in public medical schools in these states. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to about a 17% decline (from 18.5% to 15.3%) in the first-time matriculation of medical school students who are underrepresented students of…
Reflections on a Collaboration
A Call to Counter Repressive Legalism
A Call to Counter Repressive Legalism:Addressing the Implications of SFFA v. Harvard Nicole C. Ngaosi (bio) and Liliana M. Garces (bio) Opponents of race-based affirmative action in higher education have challenged the policy and practice since its inception. The sustained opposition resulted in a series of legal cases that have substantially chipped away at the practice, resulting in what is now termed "race-conscious" admissions (Garces, 2019).…
Necessary but Not Sufficient
Legal Challenges to Bias Response Teams on College Campuses
Over the last 3 years, the advocacy organization Speech First has filed six lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of bias response teams on the grounds that they violate free speech. Bias response teams are university-wide committees that respond to reports of racially charged incidents on college campuses to promote institutional goals of inclusion. These lawsuits are significant because they have resulted in the dismantling of these commit…
Boundary Crossing Between Academia and Law
Social scientists’ involvement with the legal system is critical for tackling inequities in education and informing legal developments in ways that are grounded in empirical realities that document the myriad ways race shapes educational opportunity and outcomes. This study examined the experiences of social scientists who have participated in legal cases pertaining to education policy and equity. Drawing from the notion of boundary crossing to c…
Arguing race in higher education admissions
Bridging Divides
Legal challenges continue to play central roles in critical higher education policy discussions. There are, however, wide gaps in understanding between the legal and research communities about the rigor and value of social science in legal decision-making—gaps that need to be addressed to improve the use of research in law. This study focuses on an underexamined viewpoint in the research use process—the producers of research—to examine their norm…
Introduction to Beyond Interest Convergence
We have reached a critical moment in our nation when deep injustices and stark educational inequities for historically marginalized students, including students of color, threaten our fundamental d
Statement of American Social Scientists of Research on School Desegregation to the U.S. Supreme Court in Parents v. Seattle School District and Meredith v. Jefferson County
Necessary but Not Sufficient
Reflections on a Collaboration
Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study
This study examines the effects of affirmative action bans in four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Washington) on the enrollment of underrepresented students of color within six different graduate fields of study: the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, education, and humanities. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to the greatest reductions in science-related fields of engineering, the natural scienc…
Expanding the Racial Diversity and Equity Agenda to Graduate Education
Aligning Diversity, Quality, and Equity
Diversity today is considered central to the capacity of postsecondary institutions to thrive in an increasingly multiracial and multiethnic society. However, as universities take steps to reap the educational benefits of racial and ethnic diversity, legal decisions and state laws increasingly restrict the tools these institutions have historically implemented to further this goal. This article provides an overview of these legal and public polic…
Dynamic Diversity
Through an analysis of relevant social science evidence, this article provides a deeper understanding of critical mass, a concept that has become central in litigation efforts related to affirmative action admissions policies that seek to further the educational benefits of diversity. We demonstrate that the concept of critical mass requires an understanding of the conditions needed for meaningful interactions and participation among students, gi…
Balancing Liberty and Equality
For the second time in three years, the Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of a race-conscious admissions policy at the University of Texas, Austin. While the case, Fisher v. University of Texas, raises questions specific to UT Austin, the Court’s second review could change the ways higher education institutions across the nation can legally consider race in their admissions policies. This essay considers the potential ramifications…
Racial Diversity in the Medical Profession
This study examines the impact of affirmative action bans in six states (California, Washington, Florida, Texas, Michigan, and Nebraska) on the matriculation rates of historically underrepresented students of color in public medical schools in these states. Findings show that affirmative action bans have led to about a 17% decline (from 18.5% to 15.3%) in the first-time matriculation of medical school students who are underrepresented students of…
Beyond Declines in Student Body Diversity
Guided by a bottom-up policy implementation framework, this study draws from semi-structured interviews of 14 campus-level administrators charged with implementing diversity policy at the University of Michigan to investigate how an affirmative action ban (Proposal 2) influenced their efforts in support of racial/ethnic diversity at the university. Our findings show that beyond contributing to declines in student body diversity, laws like Proposa…
A Strategic Racial Equity Framework
Despite the achievement of key civil rights milestones as well as growing public awareness and concern, educational inequities for students of color and other historically marginalized students con
Introduction to Beyond Interest Convergence
We have reached a critical moment in our nation when deep injustices and stark educational inequities for historically marginalized students, including students of color, threaten our fundamental d
Addressing Racial Health Inequities
Racial and ethnic student body diversity is essential for medical schools to serve their educational mission of addressing racial and ethnic health inequities in the United States. Yet bans on the practice of affirmative action in six states have led to declines in students of color enrolled in medical schools. In this article, we examine prior stages that contribute to enrollment declines—namely, applications and admissions—to better inform educ…
Arguing race in higher education admissions
A Comprehensive and Practical Approach to Policy Guidance
As the federal entity in charge of enforcing civil rights law, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) plays a critical role in addressing the vast inequities that exist in U.S. education. Through an analysis of the policy guidance OCR issued for a number of areas during the Obama administration, we illustrate the agency’s comprehensive and practical approach to helping ensure that young people from different backgrounds …
Bridging Divides
Legal challenges continue to play central roles in critical higher education policy discussions. There are, however, wide gaps in understanding between the legal and research communities about the rigor and value of social science in legal decision-making—gaps that need to be addressed to improve the use of research in law. This study focuses on an underexamined viewpoint in the research use process—the producers of research—to examine their norm…
Boundary Crossing Between Academia and Law
Social scientists’ involvement with the legal system is critical for tackling inequities in education and informing legal developments in ways that are grounded in empirical realities that document the myriad ways race shapes educational opportunity and outcomes. This study examined the experiences of social scientists who have participated in legal cases pertaining to education policy and equity. Drawing from the notion of boundary crossing to c…
Repressive Legalism
Guided by legal, sociolegal, and higher education concepts, we use an embedded case study of university administrators at a public institution to examine how they negotiate and institutionalize principles of freedom of expression and inclusion in responses to the proliferation of on-campus hate speech following the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Our findings reveal that an institution's legal context and administrators’ interpretations of law a…
Racial Equity on College Campuses
Legal Challenges to Bias Response Teams on College Campuses
Over the last 3 years, the advocacy organization Speech First has filed six lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of bias response teams on the grounds that they violate free speech. Bias response teams are university-wide committees that respond to reports of racially charged incidents on college campuses to promote institutional goals of inclusion. These lawsuits are significant because they have resulted in the dismantling of these commit…
Racial Equity on College Campuses
Beyond Legal Constraints
Supreme Court rulings prevent public institutions from censoring hate speech for content—even if that content has damaging consequences for marginalized students and conflicts with other institutional objectives. This case study examines administrator responses to hate speech and impacts for racial inclusion at a private university unconstrained by First Amendment protections. The findings illustrate that, even in contexts where administrators ha…
A Call to Counter Repressive Legalism
A Call to Counter Repressive Legalism:Addressing the Implications of SFFA v. Harvard Nicole C. Ngaosi (bio) and Liliana M. Garces (bio) Opponents of race-based affirmative action in higher education have challenged the policy and practice since its inception. The sustained opposition resulted in a series of legal cases that have substantially chipped away at the practice, resulting in what is now termed "race-conscious" admissions (Garces, 2019).…
Introduction
We’re on Our Own Out Here”
Political science (22 works) · Law (21 works) · Sociology (19 works) · Law (17 works) · Higher education (10 works) · Public relations (10 works) · Critical Race Theory in Education (9 works) · Higher Education Research Studies (9 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Diversity (politics (7 works)