Providing textual analysis of 12 feature films written and directed by filmmakers who explore aspects of the Chicano cultural movement, this book discusses films including Cheech and Chong's Still Smokin' (1983), El Norte (1985), and Break of Dawn (1988). The text analyzes the portrayal of Chicano, or Mexican American, identity in films by chicanos. Part historiography, part film analysis, part ethnography, this book offers a compelling story of how Chicanos challenge, subvert and create their own popular portrayals of Chicanismo. Historical stereotypical images in Hollywood films are discussed alongside contemporary images portrayed by Hollywood studios and independent Chicano filmmakers. The author examines the way in which newer films "construct new representations of Chicano culture" and present a greater variety of images of Chicanos for mainstream audiences. Originally published in 1996, this authoritative volume provides a full history of the Chicano cultural movement beginning in the 1960s as well as information on the development of Mexican American film production.

Among the lasting legacies of the Chicano Movement is the cultural flowering that it inspired--one that has steadily grown from the 1960s to the present. It encompassed all of the arts and continues to earn acclaim both nationally and internationally. Although this Chicano artistic renaissance received extensive scholarly attention in its initial phase, the post-Movimiento years after the late 1970s have been largely overlooked. This book meets that need, demonstrating that, despite the changes that have taken place in all areas of Chicana/o arts, a commitment to community revitalization continues to underlie artistic expression. This collection examines changes across a broad range of cultural forms--art, literature, music, cinema and television, radio, and theater--with an emphasis on the last two decades. Original articles by both established and emerging scholars review such subjects as the growth of Tejano music and the rise of Selena, how films and television have affected the Chicana/o experience, the evolution of Chicana/o art over the last twenty years, and postmodern literary trends. In all of the essays, the contributors emphasize that, contrary to the popular notion that Chicanas/os have succumbed to a victim mentality, they continue to actively struggle to shape the conditions of their lives and to influence the direction of American society through their arts and social struggle. Despite decades usually associated with self-interest in the larger society, the spirit of commitment and empowerment has continued to infuse Chicana/o cultural expression and points toward a vibrant future. CONTENTS All Over the Map: La Onda Tejana and the Making of Selena, Roberto R. Calderón Outside Inside-The Immigrant Workers: Creating Popular Myths, Cultural Expressions, and Personal Politics in Borderlands Southern California, Juan Gómez-Quiñones "Yo soy chicano": The Turbulent and Heroic Life of Chicanas/os in Cinema and Television, David R. Maciel and Susan Racho The Politics of Chicano Representation in the Media, Virginia Escalante Chicana/o and Latina/o Gazing: Audiences of the Mass Media, Diana I. Ríos An Historical Overview/Update on the State of Chicano Art, George Vargas Contemporary Chicano Theater, Arturo Ramírez Breaking the Silence: Developments in the Publication and Politics of Chicana Creative Writing, 1973-1998, Edwina Barvosa-Carter Trends and Themes in Chicana/o Writings in Postmodern Times, Francisco A. Lomelí, Teresa Márquez, and María Herrera-Sobek

Powered by a driving beat, clever lyrics, and assertive attitudes, rap music and hip hop culture have engrossed American youth since the mid-1980s. Although the first rappers were African Americans, rap and hip hop culture quickly spread to other ethnic groups who have added their own cultural elements to the music. Chicano Rap offers the first in-depth look at how Chicano/a youth have adopted and adapted rap music and hip hop culture to express their views on gender and violence, as well as on how Chicano/a youth fit into a globalizing world. Pancho McFarland examines over five hundred songs and seventy rap artists from all the major Chicano rap regions—San Diego, San Francisco and Northern California, Texas, and Chicago and the Midwest. He discusses the cultural, political, historical, and economic contexts in which Chicano rap has emerged and how these have shaped the violence and misogyny often expressed in Chicano rap and hip hop. In particular, he argues that the misogyny and violence of Chicano rap are direct outcomes of the "patriarchal dominance paradigm" that governs human relations in the United States. McFarland also explains how globalization, economic restructuring, and the conservative shift in national politics have affected Chicano/a youth and Chicano rap. He concludes with a look at how Xicana feminists, some Chicano rappers, and other cultural workers are striving to reach Chicano/a youth with a democratic, peaceful, empowering, and liberating message.

Printing and collecting the revolution : the rise and impact of Chicano graphics, 1965 to now / E. Carmen Ramos -- Aesthetics of the message : Chicana/o posters, 1965-1987 / Terezita Romo -- War at home : conceptual iconoclasm in American printmaking / Tatiana Reinoza -- Chicanx graphics in the digital age / Claudia E. Zapata.