Chicano, feminine form Chicana, identifier for people of Mexican descent born in the United States. The term came into popular use by Mexican Americans as a symbol of pride during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s.
The Chicano community created a strong political and cultural presence in response to years of social oppression and discrimination in a predominantly Caucasian American society. Like most historically disenfranchised groups in the United States, some Mexican Americans have taken the term Chicano, previously considered a pejorative word, and used it to empower themselves.
Today, the term Chicano is an essential component of the community’s revitalization and renewed sense of hope and pride. Regaining and regenerating the term Chicano, and having Chicanismo (an identity embracing the political consciousness of the Mexicans’ history in the United States), was the first step toward releasing the psychological barriers in the minds of many Mexican Americans. Initially, Chicana/o was used to refer to all people of Mexican origin. Since the 20th century, the term has referred to people of Mexican descent born in the United States. The term Chicana has feminist connotations resulting from its use by Mexican American female activists determined to raise consciousness about women’s rights within the Chicana/o community and to raise political awareness of those outside the Chicana/o community. In fact, during the Chicano Movement (El Movimiento) of the 1960s and 1970s, Chicanos established a strong political presence and agenda in the United States through the leadership of Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta. All three individuals gave strength to men and women in the community to fight for equality and demand social justice.
The Chicano Movement, political unrest, community disturbances, and a focus on ethnic conflict raised the consciousness of "Brown pride," "Chicano power," and Chicanismo. Chicano power signified that the community would no longer tolerate the injustices imposed by Caucasian society. Chicana/os demanded a change in the social and political climate in the United States and considered anything less inadequate. These ideologies became threatening to Caucasian society, but Chicana/os maintained momentum and encouraged others to regain what had been lost and to assert their civil liberties and rights as people who deserve social equality.
Chicana/os represent a large percentage of the population in the states of California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. Though the population continues to grow, many question the factors that hinder the social mobility of this group. After careful review of this group’s social status, scholars have argued that Chicana/os continue to encounter similar problems to those faced before 1980. Today, Chicana/os continue to face poverty, crime, violence, poor health care access, lack of health insurance, underrepresentation in U.S. politics, and discrimination in schools.
A group’s success in society is highly dependent on its perceived social status. Hence, the way Chicana/os are perceived in the United States plays an important role in psychological and social factors within the community. Eurocentric values and cultural norms have placed Chicana/os at a level in society where upward mobility has become extremely difficult and, at times, impossible. The social and cultural disconnection of Chicana/os from Caucasian American society often shapes two distinct cultural experiences. In particular, Chicana/os or Mexican Americans live within what many have called “the space” or “the hyphen.” The dual moniker Mexican American suggests that Chicana/os straddle two worlds. Further reinforcing their cultural incongruity, many Chicana/os’ experience of prejudice, racism, and mainstream attitudes remind them that although Mexico may not be their homeland, America does not always feel like home either. The irony, however, is that the Southwest region of the United States was once part of Mexico; the dominant sentiment in the community is that “we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.”
The questions of what constitutes an American and what role American culture has in a new group of Nuevo Mexicanos—Chicana/os—are important ones. Within this social framework, we can begin to understand the psychological and social impact these perspectives have on the community. In particular, the manifestations of acculturative distress, ethnic identity confusion, and marginalization begin to take shape.