ARTISTIC SCRIPTS, NARRATIVES, AND THE THEATRE: IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES IN THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Abstract

Analysts in the subfield of social movements recognize the importance of culture, and by extension, artistic mediums to facilitating solidarity between members of a community that in turn spurs them to social or political action. This study uses both primary and secondary sources to examine theatrical works linked to the Chicano movement. In particular, we are interested in the ways dimensions of collective identity such as negotiation, boundaries, and consciousness surface in narratives or texts. Theatrical scripts, we argue, give clear indications of group mobilization efforts. Through a textual analysis of plays, we also observe that Chicano theater draws on group history, language, and folklore as it defines and reinforces identity. Analyzing works of theater from the 1960s Chicano movement, along with contemporary pieces, provides a look into the ways that collective identity is used in different time periods, in comparable and contrasting ways, and shows both the constancy and trajectory of the movement.