A Chicano-Latino Perspective on the American South: A New Approach to Community Activism

• In Event: 1445 - Doing Social Justice Research in Latina/o/x Sociology

Abstract

Early researchers associated to the Chicano movement centered their analyses about the experiences of Mexican-origin people on historical places of settlement—i.e., the US Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and the Midwest—shaped by the racial, social, and political conditions of the place. A large number of studies describe the organizing and mobilizing efforts of Chicana/os to contest these larger social constraints within the confines of these geographical areas. Yet, as a relatively recent demographic change has taken place in the American South, we have limited knowledge about the Chicana/o experience and organizing efforts in southeastern communities. This paper seeks to fill this research gap by placing emphasis on the experience of local community organizers in the Northwest Arkansas region to mobilize Mexican/Latino and immigrant stakeholders for labor, racial, and immigrant justice initiatives.

Author

• Juan José Bustamante, University of Arkansas