UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
Encyclopedia
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) was founded in 1969 with a commitment to foster multidisciplinary research efforts at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA). It is one of four ethnic studies
centers established at UCLA that year, all of which were the first in the nation and have advanced our understanding of the essential contributions of people of color to U.S. history, thought, and culture
. The centers remain the major organized research units in the University of California system that focus on ethnic and racial communities and contribute to the system's research mission.
, and the professional schools. Its research addresses the growing Chicano
and Latino
population, which now constitutes nearly one-third of California
and one-half of Los Angeles
, but continues to have disproportionately low access to higher education
. Given its campus- and community-wide mandate, the CSRC reports directly to the Office of the Chancellor at UCLA. The CSRC also forms part of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR), a consortium of Latino research centers located at sixteen institutions in the United States.
and special collections archive, an academic press, research projects, community-based partnerships, two competitive grant/fellowship programs, and the Los Tigres del Norte Fund.
Since the 1970s, the CSRC holds six “institutional FTE” or faculty positions that are placed on loan to departments. These positions were originally designed to increase the center's research capacity, but also to allow the center to serve as a vital force across campus for diversifying the curriculum and the faculty.
-Latino
population. The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press publishes research by and about Mexican American
s. The press was partly responsible for the founding and flowering of Chicano studies in the 1970s—-launching the careers of young academics who could not find mainstream publishers. The press has published the journal of record in the field, Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, for over thirty-five years. It has also published over one hundred scholarly books, research reports, reference guides, policy briefs, newsletters, and DVDs.
Three new series are of special note. The A Ver: Revisioning Art History book series is a ground-breaking effort to document the work of prominent individual Latino artists. The first three books are on Gronk
, Yolanda Lopez
, and Maria Magdalena Campos. The Chicano Archive book series includes reference guides to special collections on Chicanos, with histories and finding aids. The first is about the renowned community arts organization Self Help Graphics & Art
in East Los Angeles. The Chicano Cinema and Media Art series is an effort to preserve the many important Chicano film
s and video
s that are no longer available. The first DVD is about the two earliest Chicano art documentaries. Through its many publications, the press has shaped opinion, policy, and research on the Chicano population, both nationally and internationally.
. It provides information resources, reference services, and bibliographic instruction for users from UCLA and from around the world.
It's holdings include more than 62,000 items (monographs, serials, pamphlets and clippings, dissertations and theses, maps, posters, films, videotapes, audio recordings, slides, photographs, microfilm, digital resources) and 125 special collections. The Library and Archive has also developed online digital collections in music, photography, and the visual arts.
The library makes its holdings accessible to users from UCLA and from around the world.
The Library and Archive hosts art exhibitions, film screenings, and meetings, and it works closely with other UCLA libraries, community-based resources, and other Latino archives.
The materials in the library may be used within the premises and most may be photocopied. However, they may not be checked out.
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA). It is one of four ethnic studies
Ethnic studies
Ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of racialized peoples in the world in relation to ethnicity. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology, history, English, ethnology, Asian studies, and orientalism...
centers established at UCLA that year, all of which were the first in the nation and have advanced our understanding of the essential contributions of people of color to U.S. history, thought, and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. The centers remain the major organized research units in the University of California system that focus on ethnic and racial communities and contribute to the system's research mission.
Organization
The CSRC serves the entire campus and supports faculty and students in the social sciences, life sciences, humanitiesHumanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, and the professional schools. Its research addresses the growing Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
and Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
population, which now constitutes nearly one-third of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and one-half of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, but continues to have disproportionately low access to higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. Given its campus- and community-wide mandate, the CSRC reports directly to the Office of the Chancellor at UCLA. The CSRC also forms part of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR), a consortium of Latino research centers located at sixteen institutions in the United States.
Facilities
Since its establishment, the CSRC houses a libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and special collections archive, an academic press, research projects, community-based partnerships, two competitive grant/fellowship programs, and the Los Tigres del Norte Fund.
Since the 1970s, the CSRC holds six “institutional FTE” or faculty positions that are placed on loan to departments. These positions were originally designed to increase the center's research capacity, but also to allow the center to serve as a vital force across campus for diversifying the curriculum and the faculty.
Press
Since its founding, the CSRC has played a pivotal role in the development of scholarly research on the ChicanoChicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
-Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
population. The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press publishes research by and about Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
s. The press was partly responsible for the founding and flowering of Chicano studies in the 1970s—-launching the careers of young academics who could not find mainstream publishers. The press has published the journal of record in the field, Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, for over thirty-five years. It has also published over one hundred scholarly books, research reports, reference guides, policy briefs, newsletters, and DVDs.
Three new series are of special note. The A Ver: Revisioning Art History book series is a ground-breaking effort to document the work of prominent individual Latino artists. The first three books are on Gronk
Gronk
Gronk is the artistic name of Chicano painter, printmaker, and performance artist Glugio Nicandro...
, Yolanda Lopez
Yolanda Lopez
Yolanda M. López is an American painter, printmaker, educator, and film producer. Her work focuses on the experience of Mexican American women and often challenges ethnic stereotypes associated with them. According to López, "It is important for us to be visually literate; it is a survival skill....
, and Maria Magdalena Campos. The Chicano Archive book series includes reference guides to special collections on Chicanos, with histories and finding aids. The first is about the renowned community arts organization Self Help Graphics & Art
Self Help Graphics & Art
Self-Help Graphics & Art, Inc. is a community arts center in East Los Angeles, California, USA. Formed during the cultural renaissance that accompanied the Chicano Movement, Self Help, as it is sometimes called, was one of the primary centers that incubated the nascent Chicano Art movement, and...
in East Los Angeles. The Chicano Cinema and Media Art series is an effort to preserve the many important Chicano film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
s that are no longer available. The first DVD is about the two earliest Chicano art documentaries. Through its many publications, the press has shaped opinion, policy, and research on the Chicano population, both nationally and internationally.
Library
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library and Archive is the first library of its kind and the only freestanding Chicano studies library in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It provides information resources, reference services, and bibliographic instruction for users from UCLA and from around the world.
It's holdings include more than 62,000 items (monographs, serials, pamphlets and clippings, dissertations and theses, maps, posters, films, videotapes, audio recordings, slides, photographs, microfilm, digital resources) and 125 special collections. The Library and Archive has also developed online digital collections in music, photography, and the visual arts.
The library makes its holdings accessible to users from UCLA and from around the world.
The Library and Archive hosts art exhibitions, film screenings, and meetings, and it works closely with other UCLA libraries, community-based resources, and other Latino archives.
The materials in the library may be used within the premises and most may be photocopied. However, they may not be checked out.
Former Names of the CSRC
- Mexican American Cultural Center, UCLA
- Chicano Cultural Center, UCLA
- Chicano Studies Center, UCLA
- Chicano Studies Research Center, UCLA