Through a qualitative examination of the narratives of Chicana scholars about their own ways of knowing, this study shows a strong link between their epistemological assumptions and their lived experiences. This study also shows some of the diverse theoretical spirals and paradoxes among Chicana feminist epistemologies, theories, and pedagogies. In particular, the study is an investigation of theoretical distinctions, connections, and disconnections between Chicanas' ways of knowing as processes for self-understanding as well as their relationship to pedagogy and teaching new ways of knowing. It uses a qualitative research methodology to collect and analyze data gained through interviews from eight research participants who self-identify as Chicana scholars, hold a doctorate, and have bilingual (Spanish — English) family, cultural and educational interaction in their lives. The data is classified into categories, such as narratives that look at family, social, and cultural relationships or that examine gender, class and citizenship. Some are testimonies others are based on school book learning. Sometimes embodiment and self-identity are a central focus. Participants in this study express their Chicana ways of knowing as being highly rooted in multiple social identities. They describe how their ways of knowing help them navigate across cultures and they also discuss the tension between learning at home and in scholarly formal educational environments. The study also analyzes the diverse and shifting modes of cultural awareness that these women use in theory and praxis to establish the foundations for decolonial gendered subjectivities. The study also shows how these meaningful contributions and theoretical constructions are crucial to debates not just about feminist knowledge made by women of color, but also about how all humans understand and teach the lived world.

Key Words: Chicanas, epistemology, Third world feminism, borderland theory, mestiza consciousness, differential consciousness, and decolonial perspective.