Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1996. [Vol. 3.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 23)

STUDIES - András Tarnóc: Ethnic Consciousness in Chicano Literature: The Voice of "La Raza".

same time the desire for ethnic pride is also present in a declaration of "sincere and respectful" reverence for the signers' racial origins (Moquin 364—65). The last period reflects the growth of self-awareness taking place between 1940 and 1970. The foundations of the Brown Power Movement were laid by increased immigration following the economics-motivated forced repatriations during the Depression and a political identification with the Third World, mostly Central and Latin America (Moquin 390—91). One of the predecessors of the Chicano Movement is the pachuco phenomenon of the 1940's. Responding to political, cultural, and economic segregation, young Mexican-Americans formed gangs and adopted a specific apparel viewing themselves as contemporary legatees of the Aztec heritage. This primarily youth-driven movement culminated in the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 during which Anglo soldiers on leave clashed with Mexican-American youths in the East Los Angeles area. In 1951—1965 the bracero program, a government sponsored seasonal agricultural laborer importation scheme, was in effect. The Chicano Movement was given a final impetus in September 1965, when heretofore disunionized Mexican-American grape pickers in Delano, California went on strike under the leadership of César Chávez. Although the strike aimed to achieve better pay and more humane working conditions, giving rise to a new ethnic consciousness it went beyond economics. The term "Chicano" supposedly originated from Northern Mexico where the citizens of Chihuahua added the first syllable of the name of their hometown to the designation "Mexicano." Although the name has been widely used since the 1930's by Mexicans referring to someone caught between the Anglo and the indigenous world, and was heard during the Zoot Suit Riots as well, it only gained political currency after the Delano grape strike (Moquin 499—500). The Chicano Aesthetic, like its Black counterpart, is a reaction to the historical exclusion of Mexican-Americans from the United States' 64