Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement

The Haymarket Series

by Carlos Muñoz Jr.

Youth, Identity, Power is a study of the origins and development of Chicano radicalism in America. Written by a leader of the Chicano Student Movement of the 1960s who also played a role in the creation of the wider Chicano Power Movement, this is the first fill-length work to appear on the subject. It fills an important gap in the history of political protest in the United States.

The author places the Chicano movement in the wider context of the political development of Mexicans and their descendants in the US, tracing the emergence of Chicano student activists in the 1930s and their initial challenge to the dominant racial and class ideologies of the time. Munoz then documents the rise and fall of the Chicano Power Movement, situating the student protests of the sixties within the changing political scene of the time, and assessing the movement’s contribution to the cultural development of the Chicano population as a whole. He concludes with an account of Chicano politics in the 1980s.

Youth, Identity, Power was named an Outstanding Book on Human Rights in the United States by the Gustavus Myers Center in 1990.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Politics

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 1989

Reviews

[Shane Ver Meer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this in junction with Acuña's Occupied America was worthwhile, as this book (in addition to obviously providing another perspective), focuses on some more specific elements of the Chicano movement.

[Magally Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muñoz is too invested in narrowing the scope of Chicano movement to *check notes* only things he participated in: Chicano Blowouts, repression from them and La Raza Unida Party. In the process he distances Chicanismo from Rudy Acuña (like, what?), the New Left. Bizarre.

[Mike Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent contribution to Chicano studies. This is an older book, but written by a person in deeply involved in the struggle, if not, one of the founders. The updated edition brings the book into the 21st century with suggestions about how the struggle must be continued on the contemporary political terrain. A must read. (Also, for those interested in the history of Latinxs in higher education.)

[Craig Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a grab bag, incorporating some deep background on the history behind the Chicano Movement of the late 60s and 70s, the ideological cross-currents of the movement, the development of Chicano/a Studies in the academy, and the directions in Latin/Hispanic politics in recent years. He does a nice job delineating both the connections and the tensions between the three basic elements of the movement: Cesar Chavez's work with agricultural unions; Reies Tijerina's activism on land issues (mostly in New Mexico); and the urban movement sparked by Corky Gonzalez and La Raza Unida. Similalrly, he's clear on the differing agenda that grew out of majority Mexican American areas in Texas and those that developed against the more complicated racial backdrop of California. He deserves credit for unsparingly facing the gender problems of the movement, but it was probably impossible to rework the text in ways that fully address the issue. The problem with the back, which makes it more a valuable source than a good read, is tied to one of its strengths: Munoz was active in the movement from the East LA High School Blow-Out on and he does a lot of listing of participants, especially when he turns his attention to the battle to establish Chicano Studies programs. Makes it a bit list-y, but I'm happy to have the resource.

[Bart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carlos Munoz details - yes, details (noun), many of which are mundane - Mexican-American activism of the 1940's and the Chicano Power movement of the 1960s and 70s. Infrequently, Munoz references Chicana feminism, but this book is mostly about Chicanos. Despite sexist omissions, the first three chapters on early Mexican-American activism and the student movement are interesting. Chapters on the La Raza Unida Party and Chicano Studies programs are important for documenting bureaucracy but are boring.

[Jogar01 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outlines the history of the Chicano student movement from the 1960s on forward.