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".

The Beginnings of Chicano Theatre The formation of Luis Valdez' El Teatro Campesino (1965) marks the beginning of the Chicano drama as a promoter of ethnic awareness and political action. In Valdez's view theatre serves as the arm of "revolutionary nationalism" and is a means of popular education (Shirley and Shirley 68). El Teatro Campesino performed short sketches, called actos dealing with such issues pertinent to the migrant worker community as discrimination and unfair labor conditions in the form of the morality play. The establishment of El Centro Campesino Cultural in 1967 shifted the Mexican-American theatre's attention from local issues and presented the Chicano as a global historical actor taking part in the oppressed's struggle toward social and economic improvement (Shirley and Shirley 73—74). The Vietnam War actos in 1971 concentrated on Chicano participation in that Southeast Asian conflict. Also, in the 1970's, the mito, a new form of expression emerges invoking the legend of Aztlán (Elliott 1114). Valdez's full-length play "El Corrido" describing the ordeals of migrant workers substitutes traditional stage narration with a singer of canciones de los pobres (songs of the poor; Leal and Barrón 11). "Zoot Suit" dedicated to Mexican-Americans suffering a miscarriage of justice in "The Sleepy Lagoon Case" exposes the prejudicial treatment Chicanos received in the Anglo legal system following the infamous Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 (Pérez—Torres 109). "No Saco Nada de la Escuela" ( I Don't Get Anything out of School" (1969) highlights Chicano alienation in the Anglo educational system (Elliott 1114). Chicano Aesthetics Chicano aesthetics, driven by the twin impulses of cultural regeneration and ethnic pride, following the Aztecs' prescription for achieving "true Toltec" status opposite to "carrion artists," emphasizes the importance of personal experiences (Rothenberg 12). The MexicanAmerican artist not only has to function as the voice of the barrio, but 80