Chicana/o studies

Chicana/o studies originated in the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s. Chicano studies concerns itself with the study of Chicanos, Latinos, and Mexican Americans, drawing upon a variety of fields, including, but not limited to, history, sociology, the arts, and Chicana/Chicano theory. Chicana/o studies originated in the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s. Chicano studies concerns itself with the study of Chicanos, Latinos, and Mexican Americans, drawing upon a variety of fields, including, but not limited to, history, sociology, the arts, and Chicana/Chicano theory. In many universities across the United States, Chicano Studies is linked with interdisciplinary ethnic studies and other Ethnic Studies fields such as Black Studies, Asian American Studies, and Native American Studies. Many students who have studied anthropology have also been involved in varying degrees in Chicano studies. Today most major universities in areas of high Chicano concentration have a formal Chicano studies department or interdisciplinary program. Providing classes in the ethnic studies area, like Chicano studies has been shown to help the 'learning environment for students of color through limiting feelings of prejudice and experiences of discrimination in college.' Many Chicano scholars agree that Chicano studies came about as a result of the Chicano student movements, whether they were in the form of protests, activism or just taking part in el movimiento. Chicano studies was seen as a way to advance Mexican American perspectives on culture, history and literature. The major push for universities and colleges to include Chicano studies came within the context of the African-American civil rights struggle. During this period, Mexican American educators demanded that colleges and universities address the pedagogical needs of Mexican American students. This was especially important because Mexican American student populations grew significantly in the 1960s. In addition, many young people and students were becoming very politically active and began to organize for political causes. A very prominent student organization that grew out of the civil rights movements of the '60s was the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO), which began to work towards educational reform. MAYO was very active in promoting student walkouts in Texas and California to highlight problems that Mexican American students faced. As students became more organized, they began to develop 'experimental colleges' where informal classes on topics important to the Chicano movement were taught. Manuel H. Guerra, professor at the University of Southern California and chair of the Mexican American Political Association's (MAPA) Education Committee, reported in 1963 on 'serious discriminatory policies and practices' at his university in relation to hiring Mexican Americans, especially considering that there had been an increase in the number of Mexican American students. Serving Mexican American students without providing Mexican American faculty was considered a sort of colonialism and cultural assimilation. In addition, many Mexican American students were put at a disadvantage because speaking Spanish (even outside of class) was considered 'degrading' or 'un-American.' Opportunities such as the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) helped increase the number of minorities entering colleges and universities. Educators and students alike began to visualize 'an academic program that could serve and transform the Mexican American community,' a program that would become Chicano studies and which was built by and for Chicanos. In 1967, anthropologist Octavio Romano along with graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley began to publish a Chicano studies journal called El Grito: A Journal of Contemporary Mexican-American Thought. His co-founder was Nick. C. Vaca. Many of the ideas surrounding the formation of later Chicano studies programs stemmed from this publication. One major idea that was put forth in El Grito by its editors was that Mexican Americans, in contrast to other ethnic groups, 'have retained their distinct identity and refused to disappear into The Great American Melting Pot.' The consequence of this, said the editors, was that Mexican Americans were kept in an economically and politically impoverished state. Also in 1967, Ralph Guzmán, a political scientist was hired by Los Angeles State College to conduct a study which would lay the foundation for the creation of a national center for Mexican American studies at California State College, Los Angeles (CSCLA). Both Mexican American and Black Student Unions pressed CSCLA to have ethnic studies classes at this time. The Plan de Santa Barbara is generally considered to be the manifesto of Chicano studies. Drafted in 1969 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the plan emphasizes the need for education, and especially higher education to enact Chicano community empowerment. The Plan helped to 'establish Chicano studies as an entity incorporated into the structures of academia.' However, while the Plan articulated a need for education, it did not specify how to create a program of study. The Plan did, however, lead to the creation of the Chicano Studies Institute in 1969. Another important document in Chicano studies was also produced in 1969. In March of that year, the Chicano Youth Conference held in Denver produced a plan written by Chicano poet, Alurista. It was called El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán (The Spiritual Plan of Aztlán) and it contains a concept of 'ethnic nationalism and self-determination.' The idea of the mythic homeland of the Aztec people, Aztlán, is one that unifies the United States and Mexico and correspondingly, united Mexican Americans with a sense of nationalism. In 1970, a major Chicano journal began to be published at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The journal was called Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies and it was created at first by the students. The journal, Aztlán, had a big influence on the discourse surrounding Chicano studies and helped 'establish and legitimize' the subject in colleges and universities. The name of the journal came directly from El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán and under the direction of the historian Juan Gomez-Quiñones, the journal supported and sustained a culture of activism. Chicano scholars in 1970 also wrote papers for the Chicano Studies Institute which were later published in the journal, Epoca. These papers addressed topics such as Chicano curriculum, goals of the educational program and how to achieve academic recognition. As Chicano studies programs began to be implemented at universities, it was necessary to provide infrastructure and support. In 1973, the University of California, Berkeley recognized the need to provide quality library materials to support the Chicano studies programs. Chicano scholars also recognized the need to have a 'Chicano-controlled academic' space. Researchers began to study the impact that these new programs had on students, finding that Mexican-American students responded positively to Chicano studies and also to bilingual classes. Many scholars felt that the philosophy of education in the United States at the time was 'inconsistent with the values of the Chicano movement' and that Chicano studies needed to create tools for students to use in the real world and also a new type of research to solve problems. It was also important to find ways to recruit Chicano teachers and administration within the schools to support students and research. Further support for Chicano studies came in the form of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) which was created in 1972 in San Antonio, Texas. The NACCS allows scholars in Chicano studies to exchange ideas, share research, communicate and it also has an annual conference. The conferences were important to help bring together scholars and legitimize Chicano studies, since other disciplines have similar annual conferences. By 1975, many Chicano studies programs were in place at major universities.