Mexicana Identity Examples

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The Chicana/o identity has developed through the history of Mexican-Americans living in the United States. Chicana/o identity is multi-layered and self-identified. Although, it does not have a set definition, I will highlight examples of different forms of representations that helped claimed this identity. Through various examples of Denise A. Segura and Beatriz M. Pesquera article “Beyond Indifference and Antipathy”, “Chicana Identity Matters” article by Deena J. Gonzalez, “Chicano Teatro” article by Jorge A. Huerta, “Their Dogs Came With Them” novel by Helena María Viramontes, and Murals by Judith Baca and David Alfaro Siqueiros, they will illuminate the historic struggle that creates and defines Chicana/o identity. The Chicana/o term has been very complex throughout time as a form of identity. However, Mexican-Americans were given this long history of misrepresentation as being dumb, lazy, inferior, servile, sexualized and/or criminal. One example of it would be the creation of Olvera Street in Los Angeles. In I will argue that through numerous forms of representations, Chicana/o identity is multi-dimensional and has developed through Mexican-Americans life experiences and the influence from the larger white U.S society. Lastly, I will demonstrate this by including the representations of gender, race, citizenship, and class to expose the self-identified Chicana/o identity. During the Chicano movement gender issues led to the Chicana movement for equality because the Chicano movement did not deal with women’s issues or even family issues. Chicana women had limited roles within the Chicano movement because of their gender. Feminism calls for female unity against patriarchy in traditional cultural patterns and Chicanas began to a... ... middle of paper ... ... States. I argued that Chicana/o identity could be defined as multi-dimensional through the representations of gender, race, citizenship, and class to demonstrate that Chicana/o identity is a self-identity. Through the examples of Chicana Movement, Cherrie Moraga’s choice of identity, Chicano Teatros, Muralism, and the concepts of performing politics and social sublime, Chicana/o identity is self-choice and a political ideology identity that relates to all the historic struggles that deal with intersectionalities. However, the misrepresentation of Chicana/o identity through Anglo Americans also took part in defining the Chicana/o identity because it set a stereotype that was not true about Mexican-Americans. Furthermore, through historical struggles, Chicana/o identity has became a self-identify identity, being politically aware and conscious of intersectionalities.

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