Chicano studies

Chicano studies originated in the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s. Chicano Studies concerns itself with the study of Chicanos, Latinos, and Mexican Americans, drawing upon a variety of fields, including, but not limited to, history, sociology, the arts, and communist theory.

In many universities across the United States, Chicano Studies is linked with interdisciplinary ethnic studies and other Ethnic Studies fields such as Black Studies, Asian American Studies, and Native American Studies. Many students who have studied anthropology have also been involved in varying degrees in Chicano studies. Today most major universities in areas of high Chicano concentration have a formal Chicano studies department or interdisciplinary program. Providing classes in the ethnic studies area, like Chicano studies has been shown to help the "learning environment for students of color through limiting feelings of prejudice and experiences of discrimination in college."

Many Chicano scholars agree that Chicano studies came about as a result of the Chicano student movements, whether they were in the form of protests, activism or just taking part in el movimiento. Chicano studies was seen as a way to advance Mexican American perspectives on culture, history and literature. The major push for universities and colleges to include Chicano studies came within the context of the African-American civil rights struggle. During this period, Mexican American educators demanded that colleges and universities address the pedagogical needs of Mexican American students. This was especially important because Mexican American student populations grew significantly in the 1960s. In addition, many young people and students were becoming very politically aware and organized. A very prominent student organization that grew out of the civil rights movements of the '60s was the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO), which began to work towards educational reform. MAYO was very active in promoting student walkouts in Texas and California to highlight problems that Mexican American students faced. As students became more organized, they began to develop "experimental colleges" where informal classes on topics important to the Chicano movement were taught.

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