Time Annotation Layer
6:16 - 6:22 Conjunto Music Musical Interlude
14:28 - 14:38 Conjunto Music Musical Interlude
1:10 - 2:03 Well, as you've stated quite appropriately at the beginning, Chicano literature is tied to the people, the Chicano people and as such, then it takes on these characteristics of of what what might one might call the majority of Chicano. And so that the literature in a way reflects, for example, a working class uh status for most of the Chicano, it generally uh pertains it's images, it's points of references are those points that poor people in this country in general can recognize with the addition of a particular, what I call a specificity of cultural reference that comes from the chicano themselves. These are some of the things that are specific to the literature at any point in its development. Juan Rodriguez
2:09 - 2:28 Well, uh I believe that the sensitive writer and uh fortunately we have many of those are able to capture uh at the same time, not only their individual perspective, but also this group perspective. This uh cultural perspective that we talk about. Juan Rodriguez
2:39 - 4:02 Well, perhaps I could best answer that by very briefly summarizing its history, Chicano literature as all literature springs from from the folk traditions. It begins as an oral tradition. Uh And from that, it passes through in in the late 19th century, and certainly in the early 20th century, it passes into a written tradition, picking up principally a theme that is to characterize it until the modern time. That is the theme of cultural resistance to the anglo presence in the lands that formerly belonged to Mexico. The it has taken several forms in the beginning since it was tied to the oral tradition. This literary expression was principally identified as a sort of musical expression. One can think of the Corridos, the ballads that were sung, but in another form they became, they became the folktales, the folk tales, the legends. Uh, sometimes even the jokes of the, of the masses came to be as as we recognize now the literary expression. These were later incorporated into the written tradition and then modified according to the demands of that tradition. Juan Rodriguez
4:05 - 4:52 Well, of course, most of our ancestors did not have the access to education. Uh, but also because they're just the general development of technology. When we talk about Third world countries and certainly Mexico is included amongst those. Uh, we, we generally talk about the sort of slower advanced technological advance and so therefore we really don't come into a written tradition fully until after the Second World War. So that at that time there is a clear written tradition in our literature. And one can also then identify the continuing oral tradition to our modern time. Juan Rodriguez
5:05 - 6:15 Well? Uh, as all literatures, Chicano have have practiced all of the genres. A poetry is certainly one of the first to flower in at the beginning, you referred to the birth of chicano literature? Well, Uh, in 1965, what one uh, experiences or at least notice is is not so much the birth of Chicano literature, but what we prefer to call the flowering of Chicano literature. It is not a renaissance, which would imply a death of some sort because Chicano literature as the Chicano people themselves have continued to struggle throughout their history. Well, Poetry in 65 in the flowering of Chicano literature became very, very prominent. It was one of the principal genres to be utilized principally because it could be incorporated rather easily into, say, political demonstrations and political speeches. It could also be included without A great sacrifice of space in newspapers in many magazines that flourished in the early part of the Chicano movement in 65. Juan Rodriguez
14:39 - 15:54 It is in the area of drama that the first impact is made. Even though poetry is very popular in 65 it is drama. Uh The Actos by Luis Valdez's El Teatro Campesino in Delano California, that first has the impact upon a wide audience of chicanos in this country. And they first, a lot of people today believe that the first uh ah expression that chicanos had was the Actos uh of luis Valdez, that of course is not correct. Uh It is It is since 1965 that there has been a strong tradition in the novel, which is one of the most, the novel is traditionally the genre of the middle classes. Since we do not have a very strong And certainly not historically present middle class in great numbers the novel, even though we have had novels in the 19th and early 20th century, the novel has not had a strong tradition. It is only now in the 70's And probably into the 80s, that the novel would make it stand as a genre, Juan Rodriguez
16:08 - 17:12 This is, this is correct, Luis Valdez uh in his genius, was able to tie in the a a literary expression here, the drama, the octo tie it in intimately and very, very, very uh in a very, very wise manner, tie it into the uh political demonstrations that the united farm workers under the leadership of Cesar Chavez uh were executed at the time, the strikes, the boycotts and so on. And they began, as you say, as a very rudimentary type of theater people's theatre. The first play that they presented in 65 was a skit, a very good skit called Las dos caras del Patron or The Two faces of the Patron in which they uh present to the workers themselves the duplicity that's involved in the growers attitude toward them toward them. So he wisely used that it is a people's theatre and even today uh Chicanos at all levels of the social class identify with that sort of very popular theater. Juan Rodriguez
17:19 - 18:43 Well, uh Americo Paredes in his studies on folklore has identified he has had the same problem. When does Chicano folklore start as opposed to Mexican folklore or Anglo folklore? Not rather American folklore. And he has uh pointed out that the outstanding characteristic that which distinguished Chicano folklore from Mexican folklore and american folklore is are the elements of conflict. That is the resistance folklore as resistance is what distinguishes our folklore from the other two. This is also true in literature. The prominent theme, the theme that will first pop up in the 1850s, that will first emerge in the 1850s in in in the say the the formation of chicano literature will be this cultural resistance, the resistance toward anglo presence. And this will be as I said before, the dominant characteristic even until the present. This is not to say that all Chicano writers write about the cultural conflict, but the majority of them do. And from my own experience it is a type of literature that pleases at least the majority of uh the Chicano audience the most. Juan Rodriguez
18:59 - 21:18 In the beginning. Uh 1965, in the flowering of the Chicano movement and Chicano literature. There were those poets in particular, Corky Gonzalez uh in Denver, Alurista in San Diego, that we're attempting to ah instruct, so to speak, the chicano movement. The chicano people about their indigenous roots in a reaction to anything being european. They chose to be uh Indian. And so as a result they went back uh Floresta, probably the best example went back into the Mexican Indigenous route and to the Mayas, particularly to the Aztecs and so on, which to me is very important. However, again, it is somewhat missing the immediacy of the greater numbers of the chicano people. One misses the what I mentioned in the beginning, the specificity of reference that too many of us, especially the modern urban as most of us are urban, uh young chicano is both women, men and women. To talk about the Aztecs in the Maya is to really talk about archaeology and not talk about uh some relevant uh element in our society. Uh when we when we, for example, when we experience the the indian dances, Yeah, I believe that the majority of people and this is only my impression. The majority of people really are watching some archaeological uh happening when they watch. Uh it's very similar to when they watch folklorico, the various folkloric dances. I believe that most, most say chicanos that are not trained in the tradition of dancer to appreciate that aspect of our culture, simply are watching what most tourists would see. That is some Mexicans dance in some typical dances. That is, their view is very, very superficial. Mhm. Juan Rodriguez
21:21 - 22:20 Well, for a long time we said that the readers of Chicano literature were the academics for the academics. And I always suspected that that was not true. Uh As you know, recently we have had the distribution project in our hands. We've had it for over a year. And one of the pleasant surprises of that. Yeah. Is that we have discovered that the people do read the people that are non academics are the ones that want to read that do read that search out the literature if it is true and it may be so that the academics that is students, teachers, professors, the people at some institution of higher learning. Yeah. If it is true that these people or doing all the reading, it is simply because of the problem of distribution with Chicano literature and not because the people outside of these institutions do not want or unable to read. Juan Rodriguez
22:25 - 23:21 Well, since 1979 the, the people at the University of Michigan, the center there for Social Research organized a meeting of publishers, uh, editors and distributors of Chicano titles. At that. They organized it at UCLA. And after a two day meeting, there were certain things that there were problems that were identified in possible solutions to those problems. Since that meeting, there have been three distributors established throughout the country. Uh, and I believe that those uh those distributors are probably doing more within the last year or so to distribute our literature than any other thing in the past and we should expect great results in terms of getting the Chicano titles to Chicano audience. Juan Rodriguez
23:40 - 24:11 You've been listening to the Mexican American Experience, a series of weekly programmes focusing on the second largest minority in the United States, the Chicano Comments are welcome and copies of this program are available and may be obtained by writing the Mexican American Experience Communications Center at the University of Texas at Austin, 78712. This program is distributed by the Communications Center at UT Austin and does not necessarily reflect the views of the communications center staff or the University of Texas at Austin. This is the Longhorn Radio Network. Show Closing
0:00 - 0:08 From Communications Center, the University of Texas at Austin. This is the Mexican American experience. Show Opening
6:57 - 14:20 La Loma, neighborhood of my youth demolished. He raised forever from the universe. You live on captive in the lonely cell blocks of my mind neighborhood of endless hills, muddied streets all chuck whole line that never drank of asphalt, kids barefoot and snotty nosed playing marbles, munching on being facusse the kind you'll never find in a cafe to peaceful generations removed from their willows revolution neighborhood of dilapidated community hall, Salon Cinco de Mayo Yearly, May five September 16 Gathering of the familias, Reasserting pride on those two significant days, speeches by the elders patriarchs with evidence of oppression distinctly edged upon Mestizo faces equals l independencia emphasis on allegiance to the three color obscure names juarez and hidalgo their heroic deeds. Nostalgic Tales of War Years Under Vienna's Command. No one Listened. No one seemed to really care afterwards. The dance modest mexican maidens dancing polka together across splintered wooden floor. They never deigned to dance with boys. The careful scrutiny by curb stones experts. eight and 9 years old. Mingles Bowlegged. So we know she's done at her neighborhood of sunday night harmonicas at Guadalupe church fiestas for any occasion holidays, holy days, happy days round and round the promenade eating snow cones, rasp ascent. Tamales, the games bingo cakewalk, spin the wheel, making eyes at girls from cleaner neighborhoods. Lost. Unobtainable who responded all giggles and excitement. Neighborhood of four rays down to Buena vista santa rita, chords, lost projects, friendly neighborhood cops and robbers on the rooftops, sneaking peeks in people's private nighttime bedrooms bearing gifts of juicy fruit gum for the projects. Girls chasing them in adolescent heat, causing skin, knees and being run off for the night. Disenchanted walking home affection spurned, stop and stay out late chicks in search of modern romance lovers who always stood them up, unable to leave their world in the magazine's pages, angry fingers grab in, squeezing, feeling french kisses imposed close bodily contact, thigh and belly Robbins on the shadows of Cristo Rey church neighborhood that never saw a school bus. The crosstown walks were much more fun embarrassed when acquaintances, our friends, our relatives were sent home excuse from class for having cooties in their hair, did only mexicans have cooties in their hair. Gimbatul neighborhood of Saragosa part where scary stories interspersed with inherited superstitions were exchanged waiting for midnight and the haunting lament of La Corona, the weeping lady of our myths and folklore, who wept nightly along the banks of boggy creek for the Children she'd lost or drowned in some river, depending on the version. I think I heard her once and cried out of sadness and fear running all the way home nay pairs at attention, swallow a pinch of table salt and make the sign of the cross. Sure. Cure for frightened mexican boys neighborhood of spanish town cafe First grown up 13 hang out undress, tolerant manager proprietor, cook, victim of bungling baby burglars, your loss, Fritos and Pepsi cola's was our gain. You put up with us and still survived. You too are granted immortality. Neighborhood of groups and clusters, sniffing gas drinking, muscatel solidarity, cement hardening the clan, the family, the neighborhood, the gang norma's restless innocence, tattooed crosses on their hands, just doing things different from now on. All troublemaking Mex kids will be sent to Gatesville for nine months, Henry, whom from la Korea khakis weren't too low below the waist. The stomps the granny with a duck tail pacheco yo neighborhood of could be artists who plied their talents on the pools, bathhouse walls intricately adorned with esoteric symbols of their cult. The art form of our slums. More meaningful and significant than Egypt's finest hire a graphics neighborhood where purple clouds of Yeske a smoke one day descended and embraced us all skulls, uncapped rhythm and blues, charlie's Seventh street Club love funky music, wine spo dee otis barbecue and grass. Our very own connection man. Big black johnny b neighborhood of Ray's bar where Lalo shotgun pete Evans to death because of an unintentional stare and because he was a squadra only to end his life neatly sliced by prison. Barber's razor. Lawrence, grocery and gas station where or drunkenly stabbed Julio, arguing over who drive home and got 55 years for his crime, bratton. 20 years for a matchbox of weed. Is that cold? No lawyer, no jury, no trial. I'm guilty. He's guilty. You're guilty. Aren't we all guilty? Indian mothers to so unaware of courtroom tragic comedies, folded arms across their bosoms, saying support hose neighborhood of my childhood neighborhood that no longer exists. Some died young, fortunate some rot in prison. The rest drifted away to be conjured up in minds of others like them. For me only the mouth of this journey is real neighborhood of my adolescence neighborhood that is no more. You are torn pieces of my flesh. Therefore you are La Loma. Austin mi barrio. I bear you no grudge, my king two of Houston, my Jackson of sankoh, my segundo of el paso, my Varela's of alburque my west side of denver. Flats, Los Marcos, maravilla, calle Guadalupe, magnolia, buena vista, mateo, Las Seis. Raul Salinas
24:12 - 24:30 Conjunto Music Musical Closing
0:15 - 1:10 These weekly programs focus on chicano history and culture and issues concerning contemporary mexican american society. With this week's program, here's your host Linda Fragoso. Chicano literature is a product of Chicanos. Some trace its historic roots to the blend of indian and Spanish heritage in the 15th century. Others say it goes back to the war between Mexico and the United States in the 1800s and many agreeing the Chicano literature first emerged full scale with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Like all literature, there's trends within Chicano literature trends which reflect the economic, social and political situation of the times. Juan Rodriguez, a lecturer in English in the Center for Mexican American Studies in the University of Texas, teaches ethno literature and he's from the old guard of Chicano studies, he's the editor of Carta Abierta and publishes in Chicano literature. He'll discuss with us the development of Chicano literature. Linda Fregoso
2:03 - 2:08 But you have the individual point of reference. How can that transcend to all the people? Linda Fregoso
2:29 - 2:38 What are the different types of chicano literature, for example, the chicano literature in the past versus the chicano literature today. Contemporary literature? Linda Fregoso
4:03 - 4:04 Why was the expression oral? Linda Fregoso
4:53 - 5:04 Now, within the contemporary uh expression or development of Chicano literature, there's different types of novels, different types of genre. Could you elaborate on that? Linda Fregoso
6:23 - 6:57 Chicano literature comes from the people. It's an expression of real life experiences in the various experiences of happiness, family life and tragedies within these tragedies is the reality of economic oppression that for some leads to prison. Political activist, Raul Salinas has written about the joys and tragedies of barrio life. His time in prison led him to write about and to reflect about living in the barrios, which for many chicanos is an experience they all share. Salinas started writing in 1959 and one of his best known works is A Trip through the Mind Jail Linda Fregoso
14:20 - 14:28 Raul Salinas, a writer, lecturer and teacher. Salinas is also an advocate for prisoners rights and an activist in the American Indian movement. Linda Fregoso
15:55 - 16:07 We're going back to Luiz Valdez, it seemed that it would make an impact because since the Actos were were carried out in in the fields where people were working and the majority of our people are working class people. Linda Fregoso
17:13 - 17:18 What type of themes would with the birth of Chicano literature start with? Linda Fregoso
18:44 - 18:58 What value is it to you? Poetry or literature that traces back cultural historical roots that sees a person, the writer himself searching for his identity. Linda Fregoso
21:19 - 21:21 Who's reading chicano literature? Linda Fregoso
22:21 - 22:24 How can we deal with those problems of distribution? Linda Fregoso
23:21 - 23:39 Thank you very much. Our guest this week was Juan Rodriguez, a lecturer in English at the Center for Mexican American Studies and editor of Carta Abierta and a publisher of Chicano literature. He discussed the development of Chicano literature. Thank you for joining us this week for the Mexican American Experience. I'm Linda Fragoso. Linda Fregoso

Theme of Cultural Resistance at Benson Latin American Collection .

IIIF manifest: https://marinads.github.io/chicano-citizen-poets/theme-of-cultural-resistance/manifest.json