Arizona Senate Bill 1108, the "anti-ethnic studies bill," proposed to eliminate ethnic studies programs and ethnic-based organizations from state-funded education. Along with other anti-immigrant legislation, this bill is creating an oppressive climate of discrimination against individuals of Mexican descent in Arizona. This study…

Efforts to build interethnic identification and solidarity are often accompanied by disappointment. Devastating consequences have resulted at times from lapses in inter-community cooperation, but more often from organized efforts to undermine solidarity among aggrieved groups. Moreover, those efforts have been accompanied by divisive discourse, by…

Many contemporary Chicana/o scholars have contributed to Chicano studies by focusing their research on social sciences applied to Mexican Americans. Strands of important research that intersect with Chicano studies are reviewed in the areas of psychology, political science, economics, sociology, public health, and education. Communications between…

Increasing anxieties about the growing Latina/o population in the United States have fueled virulent xenophobia toward immigrants. This essay proposes the need to forge strategic political alliances by constructing this population as a bloc, a nexus of diverse groups that differ at the level of national origin, race, residential status, class,…

Analyzes the evolution of Mexican American identity in Houston's Chicano community. Describes immigrants' emphasis on community pride in "mexicanismo" and Mestizo-Indian heritage, abandonment of indigenous identity and demands for White status in 1930s and 1940s, and identification with racial minorities during the civil rights movement.…

The films "Star Maps" and "El Norte" reveal the real political, socioeconomic, and psychic costs of divided cities by bringing the simulated realities of mass media to their logical end, thereby sacrificing each character to the disorder of the city. In "Star Maps", Carlos dreams of becoming the next major Latino…

Applies palimpsest as model for recognizing Chicano cultural diversity. Promotes interdisciplinary approach to Chicano studies. Examines Aztlan (Aztec homeland) as historical place and nationalist symbol obscuring Chicano identity and Mesoamerican diversity. Encourages use of palimpsest as conceptual tool for Chicano studies, cultural identity,…

Argues that the dismantling of Mexican American segregation in Texas resulted not only from social protest, but also from fundamental shifts in economic and political conditions, 1940-1970: structural changes in the farm labor market, urbanization, expansion of the Chicano middle class, and political mobilization. Contains 58 references. (SV)

Examines patterns of school attendance, adult literacy, and occupational status among U.S.-born Mexican Americans, Mexican immigrants, and Anglos in south, central, and west Texas regions, 1850-1900. Concludes that education and literacy produced occupational advantages only for Anglos. (SV)

Assesses Chicano-Anglo relations in Ontario, California, from 1937-1947, a transitional decade for Chicanos in "semi-rural" areas of American Southwest. Focuses on Chicanos' economic plight, their leadership and organization, civil rights and discrimination, legal issues, and political realities. Studies effect of World War II on Chicano…