Chicano Studies Midterm Terms

Settler Colonialism

Permanent occupation of Indigenous land by settlers who displace native populations to establish sovereignty. Ongoing through U.S. expansion and erasure. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; A Better Life; All They Will Call You

Genocide

Systematic destruction of a cultural or ethnic group, including Native Californians under Spanish and U.S. colonization. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Indigenous Resistance

Settler Gaze

Colonial perspective that dehumanizes or objectifies Indigenous and Mexican peoples, shaping stereotypes and media representation. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; A Better Life

Toypurina

Tongva medicine woman who led the 1785 rebellion at Mission San Gabriel against Spanish missionaries. Symbol of Indigenous resistance. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Early California uprisings

Manifest Destiny

Belief that U.S. expansion westward was divine destiny, used to justify war and land seizure from Mexico and Native nations. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – U.S.–Mexico War

U.S.–Mexico War

1846–1848 conflict leading to U.S. acquisition of half of Mexico’s territory; redefined race and citizenship. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; A Better Life essay link

1824 Chumash Revolt

Indigenous uprising at the Santa Barbara Mission protesting labor abuse and colonial violence. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Chumash history

Mexican Repatriation (1930s)

Mass deportation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans—many citizens—during the Great Depression. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; All They Will Call You

Jaime Alanís García

Contemporary farmworker example linked to ongoing migrant precarity and deportations. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – ICE raids

Carlos Roberto Montoya

Former Bracero featured in Harvest of Loneliness, showing labor exploitation and endurance. 📚 Mentioned in: Film – Harvest of Loneliness

ICE Raids Central Coast (July 2025)

Modern immigration raids demonstrating continuity of deportation systems. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Modern connections

Gloria Anzaldúa (Arrebato)

Chicana feminist who explored spiritual and identity transformation through arrebato in Borderlands/La Frontera. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; LA Interchanges

Latino Threat Narrative

Myth portraying Latinos as threats to U.S. society, fueling xenophobic policies. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; A Better Life

Precarity

Social and economic instability resulting from inequality and marginalization. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; A Better Life

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Ended U.S.–Mexico War, promised but failed to protect Mexican residents’ rights in annexed territories. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Postwar consequences

Indio Muerto / Hutash Street

Santa Barbara street names reflecting normalized colonial violence and Indigenous erasure. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Local history

Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)

Civil conflict causing migration to the U.S. and shaping modern Chicanx identity. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; Harvest of Loneliness

Hijas de Cuauhtémoc

Chicana feminist group and newspaper advocating women’s equality within the Chicano Movement. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Feminism and activism

Madison Grant (Passing of the Great Race)

Eugenicist whose racist work influenced U.S. immigration restrictions and white supremacy. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Race science

Lemon Grove Incident (1931)

First U.S. desegregation case; Mexican families fought to reintegrate their children in school. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Early education reform

Mendez v. Westminster (1947)

Court ruling ending segregation of Mexican-American students in California, precedent for Brown v. Board. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Civil rights cases

Sleepy Lagoon Case (1942)

Racist prosecution of Mexican-American youth falsely accused of murder. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – WWII racial tension

Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee (SLDC)

Organized legal defense and awareness campaign for wrongfully accused youth. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Early activism

Bracero Program (1942–1964)

Guest worker agreement exploiting Mexican laborers under poor conditions. 📚 Mentioned in: Film – Harvest of Loneliness

Ernesto Galarza

Scholar and activist who exposed Bracero Program abuses through writing and advocacy. 📚 Mentioned in: Harvest of Loneliness

Harvest of Loneliness (film)

Documentary on the Bracero Program showing systemic worker exploitation. 📚 Mentioned in: Film discussion

Tim Hernández

Author of All They Will Call You, who recovered the names of 1948 'deportee' crash victims. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Jose Sánchez Valdivia

One of the Mexican workers who died in the 1948 crash; identified by Hernández’s research. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Luis Miranda Cuevas

Crash victim in All They Will Call You, symbolizing forgotten migrant histories. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Frank and Bobbie Atkinson

Anglo witnesses who helped memorialize the crash victims. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Deportee Song (Woody Guthrie, Martin Hoffman, Pete Seeger)

Protest song naming the tragedy of unnamed migrant deaths; inspired Hernández’s work. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Guadalupe Ramírez Lara

Female crash victim remembered through Hernández’s memorial. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Ramón Paredes González

Crash victim whose identification restored migrant dignity. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Casimira Navarro López

Female Bracero victim of the 1948 crash; represents erased women’s labor. 📚 Mentioned in: All They Will Call You

Luisa Moreno

Guatemalan labor leader advocating for Latina workers through UCAPAWA. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; Salt of the Earth

Josefina Fierro de Bright

Organizer of the Spanish-Speaking People’s Congress; fought deportations and inequality. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Chicana activism

Emma Tenayuca

Led the 1938 San Antonio pecan-shellers’ strike, pioneering Latina labor activism. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; Salt of the Earth

Esperanza Quintero

Character in Salt of the Earth representing working-class Chicana leadership. 📚 Mentioned in: Salt of the Earth

Salt of the Earth Strike (1951)

Real-life miners’ strike in New Mexico led by Mexican-American women for equality and safety. 📚 Mentioned in: Salt of the Earth film

Operation Wetback (1954)

Government deportation program removing Mexican and Mexican-American laborers. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Deportation history

Cold War / Red Scare / Mine-Mill Workers Union

Era when Latina/o labor leaders were targeted as 'communist threats,' weakening movements. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Political repression

Intersectional Justice

Approach that connects gender, race, class, and sexuality in understanding inequality. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; LA Interchanges

Dolores Huerta

Co-founder of the United Farm Workers; key leader of grape strikes and civil-rights efforts. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Labor organizing

Intergenerational Activism

Activism passed between generations of Chicanx/Latinx communities. 📚 Mentioned in: Walkout; LA Interchanges

Paula Cristosomo

Student leader of 1968 East L.A. Walkouts demanding school reform. 📚 Mentioned in: Walkout film

Grassroots Leadership and Activism

Bottom-up community organization for social change. 📚 Mentioned in: Walkout; Lecture

Sal Castro

Teacher and mentor who inspired students during East L.A. Walkouts. 📚 Mentioned in: Walkout film

Counter-Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO)

FBI program that surveilled and disrupted civil-rights and Chicano activists. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – State surveillance

Brown Berets

Chicano youth organization promoting self-defense and cultural pride. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Chicano Movement

Chicano Moratorium & Rubén Salazar

1970 anti–Vietnam War protest where journalist Salazar was killed by police. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Civil-rights movements

Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU)

Group founded in 1981 advocating LGBTQ+ Latinx rights and visibility. 📚 Mentioned in: LA Interchanges

Lydia Otero

Queer Chicana scholar documenting gentrification and queer spaces in Tucson. 📚 Mentioned in: LA Interchanges

Lesbians of Color

Collective linking queer and racial justice within feminist movements. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture; LA Interchanges

Critical Race Theory / Counter-Storytelling

Framework centering marginalized voices to challenge dominant narratives. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Theory

Unidad (film & newsletter)

Media project promoting queer Chicanx unity and activism. 📚 Mentioned in: LA Interchanges

Coral Alonso & Emma de Paz

Queer Chicanx activists featured in Unidad promoting community leadership. 📚 Mentioned in: LA Interchanges

Corky Gonzales / Yo Soy Joaquín (poem)

Chicano poem asserting cultural pride and identity during the civil-rights era. 📚 Mentioned in: Lecture – Chicano literature