Resisting Whiteness: Mexican American Studies and Rhetorical Struggles for Visibility

Abstract

In late 2012, Santino J. Rivera published a collection of Chicana/o literature as a cultural and political response to the closure of Mexican American Studies in the Tucson Unified School District. This essay argues that Rivera's text invites critical interrogation of the whiteness ideologies underlying critiques of MAS in an attempt to make spaces for Chicana/o sensibilities. Such sensibilities, this essay argues, include In Lak'ech and mestiza rhetorics, which emphasize cultural empowerment, identification, spiritual love, and humanization.

Keywords:

• Whiteness Ideology
• Post-Racism
• Mexican American Studies
• Chicana/o Identities
• Critical Rhetoric

The author wishes to thank Dr. Alberto González for his helpful advice, Sarah Petrie for her suggested revisions to the manuscript, and guest editors Dr. Dreama Moon and Dr. Michelle Holling as well as the blind reviewers for their constructive suggestions and comments.

The author wishes to thank Dr. Alberto González for his helpful advice, Sarah Petrie for her suggested revisions to the manuscript, and guest editors Dr. Dreama Moon and Dr. Michelle Holling as well as the blind reviewers for their constructive suggestions and comments.

Notes

[1] Throughout the essay, I follow the lead of TUSD's Mexican American Studies by using the “Chicana/o” identity marker to indicate the complex histories, cultural knowledge, experiences, and identities of Mexican Americans. The use of “a/o” is the author's conscious effort to forefront continuing struggles over gender inclusivity and equity.

[2] When using this pan-ethnic identifier, I am ever attentive to “the (real or assumed) commonalities and differences attached to the sign ‘Latina/o’” (Holling & Calafell, 2011, p. xvi).