Language and Bodily Autonomy in Chicano Movement Periodicals, 1967-1973

Abstract

Periodicals were a primary organizing tool of Chicano Movement activists from 1967-1973, serving as spaces for multilingual representation and dialogue in Mexican American communities. This thesis argues that by publishing content by and for both Spanish and English speakers, as well as including the voices of the working classes, women, school age children, and the incarcerated, these publications created a space for experimentation with language and assertions of bodily autonomy that wasn’t available in mainstream publications. The five publications examined in this study are Denver’s El Gallo, New Mexico’s El Grito Del Norte, Con Safos and Regeneración from Los Angeles, and Houston’s Papel Chicano. All advocated for bilingual and multicultural education and spoke out against racism and police brutality, but an analysis of their regional context and the voices of their individual contributors shows variation in voice, structure, style, ideology, and intended audiences. This study offers a reading of these publications with an eye towards the traditions and practices of the Spanish language press and literary tradition, along with notes on their current availability to researchers in US institutions.