ABSTRACT
In the late 1960s, Chicanismo (Chicano cultural nationalism) captured the hearts and minds of thousands of Chicana/o student activists in California, who formed the student branch of the Chicano Movement. This philosophical drive for self-determination and cultural pride led these students to adopt the ethno-political identity labels “Chicana” and “Chicano” and to create a confederation of Chicana/o student organizations called Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán, or MEChA) in 1969. Although movement leaders promoted Chicanismo as a common denominator to facilitate Chicano and Chicana political unity and action, creating actual political cohesion proved itself easier said than done. Uniting under the movement's banner was a constantly contested, evolving, dynamic, and permanently incomplete process. MEChA members brought their own unique experiences, perspectives, and identities to the organization and used these to frame their activism and their participation in the organization and within the larger Chicano Movement. In my writing, I highlight and analyze the contested processes by which Chicana/o student activists in California MEChA attempted to create political cohesion for action despite members’ heterogeneous identities, perspectives, and experiences.
