Mexican American History Overview and Innovations

Origins Emerged in the 1960s out of the Chicano Movement Part of Chicano Studies Third World Liberation Front UC Berkeley, 1969 “Chicano/a history emerged as a product of the Chicano movement because of our people’s social and psychic need to gain self-knowledge” - Jesús Chavarría

El Plan de Santa Barbara UC Santa Barbara, 1969 Mexican Americans as part of the larger American experience

Student Activism United Mexican American Students (UMAS) Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) Blowouts, 1968

Mexican American Studies in Academia University of California Berkeley, 1969 San Francisco State University, 1969 Northern Arizona University Colorado State University University of Texas in Austin, 1970 University of Texas at San Antonio, 1973 University of Texas at El Paso University of Houston, 1972

Historiography

Time Periods 1848, U.S. war against Mexico Pre-Columbian Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Pre-Columbian

Exploitation Thesis Mexican Americans were victims of Americans “good guys” and “bad guys” Rudy Acuna, Occupied America, 1972.

Assimilationist Thesis Mexican Americans assimilated into their changing way of life Abandoned Spanish and learned English Matt Miere and Feliciano Rivera, Chicanos, 1972

Resistance Thesis Chicanos experienced land loss and segregation but are not helpless victims Evidence of fighting back and resisting Robert Rosenbaum, Mexicano Resistance Throughout the Southwest, 1981 Guadalupe San Miguel, Let All Them Take Heed, 1982

Adaptation Thesis Mexican Americans did not assimilate completely but adapted and survived New ways found to navigate the changing times Matt Garcia, A World of Its Own, 2001

New Directions

Women Examine chauvinism within Mexican American History Discuss issues of triple oppression Vicki Ruiz, Cannery Women, Cannery Lives (1987) Emma Perez, The DeColonial Imaginary (1999

Immigration Discuss themes of inter-ethnic conflict Highlight differences of class, citizenship, and generational divides

Regional Expansion Recognizing the history of Mexican Americans beyond the Southwest Juan R. Garcia, Mexicans in the Midwest (2004)

Queer Studies Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender

Comparative Approach Comparing historical experiences of Chicanas and Chicanas with other ethno-racial groups Examine racialization of Mexican Americans Lilia Fernandez, Brown in the Windy City (2012)

Mexican American and Latino/a Studies UT, first ever academic Department for MALS, 2014 Questions of the cohesiveness of the field Important to represent the growing population of Latinos and ensure they are not left out of history

Current Status of Mexican American History

The Attack on Mexican American History Arizona 2010, anti-ethnic studies statute HB 2281 Schools should not include instruction or course that Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals

Texas Librotraficante Texas State Board of Education approves ethnic studies courses in high schools Texas Legislature declares May 1, 2015 Mexican American Studies Day Dan Patrick introduced a bill that would exempt ethnic studies from counting toward the fulfillment of state history requirements

California San Francisco school board 2014, requires all city public high schools to offer Ethnic Studies Los Angeles Unified School District 2014, requires Ethnic Studies for high school graduation

Supporting Mexican American History & Studies 2015, Protests at University of Northern Colorado over the suspension of Mexican American studies due to low enrollment Issues of funding, availability of classes, full-time faculty, other resources