Chicana/Chicano Studies

The Latino presence continues to grow in traditional population enclaves and has tripled in areas that are not traditionally associated with this pan-ethnic group. The dramatic growth of this population in the U.S. requires a considerably deeper understanding of individuals that share this multifaceted identity. This timely book synthesizes new research and its implications for practice that is critical for professionals working with Latinos in educational and counseling contexts. The authors provide insight into identity development, environmental influences, and how these factors influence persistence in higher education. By using a synthesis approach to organize multiple studies around how being Latinx influences the experiences of students in college and beyond, the authors offer a holistic view of the Latino population. Each chapter uses mixed method data points to highlight the experiences of this growing population and provide helpful insights for those who work with Latinx individuals within higher education and community settings. The new Lifespan Model of Latinx Ethnic Identity Development constitutes a framework to consider the development and tensions experienced by Latinos as they engage with the various cultures represented within U.S. society. The studies presented in this book provide an evidence-based understanding how environmental differences may produce differing levels of development for college students and how change in environments produce reflective refinement of adult Latinx identity. Practitioners will learn about practices that help Latinx college students. Faculty and researchers will gain new understandings of the Latinx experience, and discover a starting point for further reflection and investigation.

Mexican figures like La Virgen de Guadalupe, la Malinche, la Llorona, and la Chingada reflect different myths of motherhood in Mexican culture. For the first time, Melero examines these instances of portrayed motherhood as a discursive space in the political, cultural, and literary context of early twentieth century Mexico.

This volume is being published at a critical time in U.S. history and serves as a comprehensive and much-needed update to what is known about Latinx health. As both the United States and Latinx subgroups experience demographic shifts, it is critical to examine the current epidemiology of Latinx health, as well as the factors influencing the health and well-being of this growing population. Chapters in this book, written by highly respected experts, illuminate the diversity of the Latinx population and provide strategies to mitigate many of the challenges they face, including challenges related to migrating to new destinations. The book is designed to enrich dialogue around the multilevel determinants of Latinx health and concludes with a call to action for increased culturally congruent, theoretically informed and participatory Latinx health research. The book also encourages the mentorship and growth of early career and junior investigators to conduct research on Latinx health issues. A selection of the perspectives included among the chapters: Chronic disease and mental health issues in Latinx populations Substance use among Latinx adolescents in the United States Physical and intellectual and developmental disabilities in Latinx populations Health insurance reform and the Latinx population Immigration enforcement policies and Latinx health Research priorities for Latinx sexual and gender minorities Racial and ethnic discrimination, intersectionality, acculturation, and Latinx health New and Emerging Issues in Latinx Health is an invaluable compendium that provides a foundation of understanding Latinx health and well-being and guides future research and practice. The book is essential for researchers, practitioners, and students in the fields of public health and the social sciences including community and health psychology, health administration and policy, community health education, medical anthropology, medical sociology, population health, and preventive medicine. Moreover, the chapters in this volume are also relevant for federal, state, and local agencies, including health departments, and other Latinx- and immigrant-serving community organizations.

The contributors in Ethnographic Refusals, Unruly Latinidades highlight the value of "radical inclusion" in their research and call for a critical self-reflexivity that marshals the power of bearing witness to move from rhetoric to praxis in support of these methodologies within anthropological perspectives. The essays in this collection do not offer simple solutions to histories of colonialism, patriarchy, and misogyny through which gender binaries and racial hierarches have been imposed and reproduced, but rather provide a crucial opportunity for reflection on and continued reimagination of the contours of Latinidad. These scholars deploy Latinx strategically as part of ongoing dialogues, understanding that their terminologies are inherently imprecise, contested, and constantly shifting. Each chapter explores how Latinx ethnographers and interlocutors work together in contexts of refusal--ever mindful of how power shapes these encounters and the analyses that emerge from them--as well as the extraordinary possibilities offered by ethnography and its role in ongoing social transformation.

Spirit, mind, and heart--in traditional Mexican health beliefs all three are inherent to maintaining psychological balance. For Mexican Americans, who are both the oldest Latina/o group in the United States as well as some of the most recent arrivals, perceptions of health and illness often reflect a dual belief system that has not always been incorporated in mental health treatments. Chicana and Chicano Mental Health offers a model to understand and to address the mental health challenges and service disparities affecting Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans/Chicanos. Yvette G. Flores, who has more than thirty years of experience as a clinical psychologist, provides in-depth analysis of the major mental health challenges facing these groups: depression; anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder; substance abuse; and intimate partner violence. Using a life-cycle perspective that incorporates indigenous health beliefs, Flores examines the mental health issues affecting children and adolescents, adult men and women, and elderly Mexican Americans. Through case studies, Flores examines the importance of understanding cultural values, class position, and the gender and sexual roles and expectations Chicanas/os negotiate, as well as the legacies of migration, transculturation, and multiculturality. Chicana and Chicano Mental Health is the first book of its kind to embrace both Western and Indigenous perspectives. Ideally suited for students in psychology, social welfare, ethnic studies, and sociology, the book also provides valuable information for mental health professionals who desire a deeper understanding of the needs and strengths of the largest ethnic minority and Hispanic population group in the United States.

As the heyday of the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s to early 70s fades further into history and as more and more of its important figures pass on, so too does knowledge of its significance. Thus, Chicano Movement For Beginners is an important attempt to stave off historical amnesia. It seeks to shed light on the multifaceted civil rights struggle known as "El Movimiento" that galvanized the Mexican American community, from laborers to student activists, giving them not only a political voice to combat prejudice and inequality, but also a new sense of cultural awareness and ethnic pride. Beyond commemorating the past, Chicano Movement For Beginners seeks to reaffirm the goals and spirit of the Chicano Movement for the simple reason that many of the critical issues Mexican American activists first brought to the nation's attention then--educational disadvantage, endemic poverty, political exclusion, and social bias--remain as pervasive as ever almost half a century later.