Los Pochos y Los Vendidos
“Viví
en el monstruo y le conozco las entrañas”
By
Rodolfo F.
Acuña Dec. 2013.
When I sat down to conceptualize Chicana/o Studies,
I was forced to distinguish it from Mexican Studies. If I had not done so, I
would have never gotten it through the committees. I also had to differentiate
CHS from race studies as well as Latin American Studies. I was fortunate that I
had taught U.S. history and government, and specialized in U.S. History for my
Masters. My PhD was in Latin American studies so that was icing on the cake.
Academe was caught flatfooted in responding to the
challenge of ethnic studies, and it has never really got a handle on them. Many
perceive them as race studies, so the inclination is to lump Chicana/o Studies
into their flawed model.
I believed that if Chicana/o Studies was to grow; it
had to find its own identity. Very early the main thrust of our program was pedagogical.
We were there to teach more than a subject; it involved teaching students
identity and skills. The truth be told, years of marginalization had damaged
Chicanas/os.
