Chicanos
Chicanos and Chicanas are a diverse group of people of Mexican heritage who were born in the United States and many Mexican immigrants, especially children educated in the United States, also identify with the term. There are, however, many from both populations do not identify as Chicano. Most Chicanos speak English but consider Spanish their mother tongue. While historically Chicanos are associated with the Southwest and California, Chicanos have spread recently into other regions of the United States.
Select the Culture Summary link above for a longer description of the culture.
North America --Regional and Ethnic Cultures
United States
N007
58
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8660
Documents referred to in this section are included in the eHRAF collection and are referenced by author, date of publication, and eHRAF document number.
The Chicano file consists of 57 English language documents covering a wide variety of ethnographic topics. The time span for the file ranges from the early to late twentieth century, with a particular geographical focus on Texas, California, and the general southwestern area of the United States. Although there is no single work in the file that covers in depth all of the Chicano in the U.S., the combination of works by Moore (1990, no. 1), Grebler (1970, no. 8), Alvarez (1971, no. 17), , Teller (1977, no. 23, and Vigil (1998, no. 45), do provide a general ethnographic overview of Chicano culture and society. Feminism and the role and status of Chicano women is a major topic discussed in a number of documents in this file, such as in: Miranda (1979, no. 10), Melville (1980, nos. 47, 53, 58, and 59), Whiteford (1980, no. 56), Wagner and Schaffer (1980, no. 61), Garcia Manzanedo (1980, no. 62), Cotera (1980, no. 64), and Velez-I (1980, no. 65). Other topics include data on: reproduction and child care, in: Keyes (1986, no. 28), Melville (1980, no. 48), Andrade (1980, no. 49), Urdaneta (1980, no.50), Kay (1980, no. 51, and Acosta-Johnson (1980, no. 52); labor and the Chicano labor force in: (Briggs, 1977, no. 5), Briody (1985, no. 26), Landolt (1966, no. 30), Jones (1965, no. 31), and Zavella (1987, no. 46); folk healers and folk medicine in: Kiev (1968, no. 9), Romano V (1960, 1965, nos. 18 and 19), and Macklin (1980, no. 57); the fine arts in: Graham (1981, no. 20), Limín (1980, 1983, 1989, nos. 54, 67, and 68), Flores (1995, no. 38), Peña (1981, no. 40), and Mason (1980, no. 55); and finally problems of the aged in Markides (1983, no. 60) and Stephens (1980, no. 66).
For more detailed information on the content of the individual works in this file, see the abstracts in the citation preceding each document.
This culture summary is from the article "Chicano" by James Diego Vigil in the Encyclopedia of World Cultures Supplement, edited by Carol R. Ember and Melvin Ember with the assistance of Ian Skoggard. Macmillan Reference/Gale 2002.The Human Relations Area Files would also like to thank James Diego Vigil for his bibliographical suggestions in the preparation of this file. The synopsis and indexing notes were written by John Beierle in January 2002.
John Beierle
Affirmative Action Program -- category 466
AGRINGADOS -- acculturated Mexican-Americans -- categories 156, 177
Associated Employers, Inc. -- open shop association of San Antonio -- category 466
border patrols -- categories 693 (sometimes with 648)
CASAA -- Citizens Association Serving All Americans -- categories 664, 575, 177
Chicano political movement -- category 668
COLONIAS -- immigrant settlements, which evolved into contemporary Chicano barrios --categories 621, 361
COPLA -- Comite de Padres Latinos, a Spanish-speaking parent organization in Portillo, California, established to engage in dialogue about their children's needs in the educational system -- category 871
COPS -- Communities Organized for Public Service; a neighborhood-based political organization - - category 665
CUMPLEAÑOS -- birthdays -- category 527
CURANDERO -- shaman -- category 756
judicial commissions (civil rights, immigration, etc.) -- category 698
LA RAZA UNIDA -- category 668
labor camps -- categories 361, 362, sometimes with 466
law suits against the U.S. government -- category 691
LULAC -- League of Latin American Citizens -- categories 664, 575, 177
MANDA -- a religious vow or promise -- category 782
MAPA --Mexican-American Political Association -- categories 664, 575, 177
MEXICANIDAD, concept of -- category 186
ORDEN HIJOS DE AMERICA -- order of sons of America (OSA) -- categories 664, 575, 177
PALOMILLAS -- cliques of teen-age boys or young men -- category 573
PASSO -- Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations -- categories 664, 575, 177
poverty and anti-poverty programs, general information on --category 735
poverty and anti-poverty programs, specific information on -- categories 746, 747
pressure groups, political -- category 664
proposition 187 -- category 167
prosecution of illegal immigrants -- category 687
QUINCEAÑERA -- a coming of age ritual and festival for fifteen-year-old girls -- category 527
racial discrimination against Chicanos -- categories 177, 563
reform movements -- categories 185, 668
Texas Rangers -- category 693
undocumented workers -- categories 167, 464, 563
welfare programs -- category 657
John Beierle