CSRC Newsletter - December 2016

Volume 15, Number 3

Director’s Message

In the new sci-fi film Arrival, which is based on a short story by Ted Chiang, twelve large egg-like spaceships arrive and position themselves around the world. The “aliens” they carry are giant seven-legged creatures whose intentions are unclear: are they here to help or destroy us? Over time—or rather, across time—a linguist figures out the heptapods’ language and thus their plans. They are here to unite the world, not through a common enemy, but through their language. On November 8, the United States held its presidential election. While the outcome was decisive and clear, the intentions of the voters were less so. If voting is a language, in the United States it is one in which a quarter-billion people have the option to contribute to its expression. This year, about 54 percent of the electorate spoke, and the winning candidate received just over 25 percent of the eligible votes and just under half of the actual votes.
 
Speaking matters. But what did this vote say? Read my entire op-ed in the Huffington Post. For other responses to the election from within the University of California, see also:
  • “Napolitano joins state's higher ed leaders in urging Trump to support undocumented students,” in UCLA Newsroom
  • “After Trump,” by Robin D. G. Kelley, UCLA professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, in the Boston Review
Chon A. Noriega
Director and Professor
 

News

Petition to unite UCLA faculty against hate and bigotry on campus
CSRC director Chon A. Noriega and CSRC associate director Charlene Villaseñor Black were among a group of UCLA faculty who initiated a petition in the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election affirming “UCLA’s commitment to fostering an environment that is inclusive and respectful of diversity in all its forms—in our classrooms, our offices, on campus, and beyond.” As of this writing, the petition has garnered over 750 signatures. UCLA faculty who have not yet read or signed the petition and wish to may do so here.
 
Montes meets with Chicano and Latino students
Carlos M. Montes, human rights activist and one of the founders of the Brown Berets, met with UCLA students on November 22. Montes discussed his activism in the 1960s, including his participation in the Chicano Moratorium, his involvement as one of the founders of MEChA, the establishment of the Brown Berets, and his work with the Black Panthers. He urged students to organize and take action in the wake of the 2016 election. He also talked about his current work with Centro CSO. During his visit he met with a Chicana/o studies class and dined with twenty students in the Chicano/Latino Living/Learning Community and Charlene Villaseñor Black, faculty in residence. Later he talked and answered questions with forty-five students in Carnesale Commons. Montes praised UCLA students as the first in Los Angeles to protest the election of Donald Trump.
 
Grijalva to retire
The CSRC congratulates Carlos Grijalva, associate dean of the Graduate Division, on his retirement from UCLA this month. A member of the psychology faculty since 1982, Grijalva has served the university in many capacities, including interim chair of the César Chávez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction, where he played a central role in launching UCLA’s Chicana and Chicano studies department. In addition, he has served on the CSRC Faculty Advisory Committee since 2011. The CSRC would like to thank Grijalva for his exceptional service to the CSRC and to UCLA students and the university at large. We wish him the very best.
 
AltaMed donates to Haro scholarship fund
The CSRC would like to express its sincere gratitude to AltaMed and Cástulo de la Rocha, its president and CEO, for the company’s $20,000 donation to the Carlos M. Haro Education Fund at the CSRC. The fund provides grant support to UCLA students whose research focuses on education or public service. Haro, CSRC assistant director emeritus, remains a passionate advocate for Latina/o students who aspire to attain a college degree. The fund was established in 2008 upon Haro’s official retirement from UCLA. If you would like to make an end-of-year donation to the CSRC (we wouldn’t be here without you!), please visit the CSRC Giving page.
 
Haro lectures at Hannan University
On November 10, Carlos M. Haro visited Hannan University in Osaka, Japan, at the invitation of Mari Kagawa, professor of international relations. In a lecture to students in a comparative and international studies class, Haro discussed the intersection of Japanese Americans and Chicanos in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles, focusing particularly on students who attended schools in Boyle Heights in the 1960s. Haro also talked about the work of late UCLA professor Don Nakanishi, a graduate of Roosevelt High School and past director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Nakanishi played a critical role in the development of university ethnic studies programs. Haro is a CSRC assistant director emeritus.
 
Martinez featured in Artforum
A feature on the work of contemporary artist Daniel J. Martinez appeared in the November 2016 issue of Artforum. The article notes Martinez’s The Castle Is Burning, a public art installation created in 1993 at Syracuse University that led university administrators to take seriously the needs of minority students. CSRC director Chon A. Noriega helped organize that installation, and a piece of it is currently on view at the CSRC as part of the current library exhibition Taking to the Streets (see CSRC Library). Works by Martinez will be included in the exhibition Home—So Different, So Appealing, which is being organized by the CSRC and will open in June 2017 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
 
New videos on CSRC YouTube
 
  • Panel: “Beyond the Elections: Political Impacts on Communities of Color” (October 27, 2016) (video)This pre-election discussion addressed political discourse and referenda at local, state, and national levels and their potential impact on communities of color. The panelists were Randy Akee, assistant professor of public policy at the Luskin School of Public Affairs; Lorrie Frasure-Yokley, associate professor of political science; Paul M. Ong, professor of urban planning, social welfare, and Asian American studies at the Luskin School of Public Affairs and director of the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge; and Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, project director at the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education. Jonathan Collins, a UCLA doctoral candidate in political science, moderated the discussion. This event was organized by the four UCLA ethnic studies centers and sponsored by the Institute of American Cultures.
Joe Ortiz, ¡Presente!
The CSRC mourns the passing of Joe Ortiz, Los Angeles-based publicist, broadcaster, and reporter. Ortiz was the first Chicano to host an English-language talk show on a U.S. commercial radio station. The CSRC is proud to hold the Joe Ortiz Papers and Radio Interviews (1968–2000), which include correspondence, media clippings, announcements, photos, newsletters, articles, tape recordings of his radio show, and papers pertaining to his work in public relations. A finding aid for the collection can be found here.
 

CSRC in the News

“People Magazine's Shameless Pivot"
Vanessa Díaz, CSRC IAC postdoctoral scholar, wrote an op-ed condemning People Magazine’s favorable coverage of president-elect Donald Trump despite a People reporter’s accusation that Trump sexually assaulted her while she was on assignment.  
International Business Times, November 28, 2016 (PDF)  
 
“10 Great Books on Chicano/Mexican Cinema to Buy This Navidad”
Chicanos and Film: Representation and Resistance (University of Minnesota Press, 1992), edited by CSRC director Chon A. Noriega, was mentioned in a top ten book list on Chicano/Mexican cinema.
OC Weekly, November 23, 2016 (PDF)
 
“Latin American and Latinx Artists to Take Over Southern California Art Scene in 2017”
The Huffington Post mentioned two of the CSRC’s forthcoming shows, Home—So Different, So Appealing and Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell, in an article about the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative. Artists discussed in the piece whose works will be featured in these exhibitions include Laura Aguilar, Carmen Argote, and León Ferrari.
Huffington Post, November 16, 2016 (PDF)
 
 All “In the News” articles are available in PDF format on the CSRC website.
 

Events

IAC Fall Forum and Reception
Thursday, December 1, 4:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
UCLA Faculty Center – California Room
The UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC) is hosting its annual Fall Forum! Please join us for scholars’ presentations and a reception honoring the 2016–17 IAC visiting researchers and scholars, graduate and predoctoral fellows, and research grant awardees at UCLA’s four ethnic studies centers, including the CSRC. This event is free but please RSVP here.
The CSRC is a co-sponsor of this event.
 
All CSRC events are free and do not require an RSVP unless otherwise noted. Programs are subject to change. For the most current information, visit the Events page on the CSRC website.
 

CSRC Library

New library exhibition and permanent installation on view
Now on display in the CSRC Library and vitrine is the exhibition Taking to the Streets: Art in the Public Space at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, featuring photographs, cardboard cutouts, and a video triptych that consider the role of public art. The impetus for this show, which was curated by Karen Rapp, was a recent donation to the CSRC of Welcome to America’s Finest Tourist Plantation, a poster created by David Avalos, Louis Hock, and Elizabeth Sisco for a public art project launched by the three artists in 1988. The poster was mounted on the back of 100 city buses in San Diego, generating not only controversy but also discussion about the economic contributions of undocumented immigrants. The piece has been conserved at UCLA and is now on permanent display at the CSRC. Other works in the exhibition are drawn from the CSRC’s archival holdings or previous projects. Artists represented in addition to Avalos, Hock, and Sisco are Ramiro Gomez, Daniel J. Martinez, and Sandra de la Loza. The exhibition is on view during regular library hours through March 24, 2017.
 
Chicano studies class completes archive instruction
The CSRC continues to support the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies, providing space for group discussion and archival instruction for research assignments. Three class sessions—a total of seventy-four students—for CS 10A, Introduction to Chicana and Chicano Studies, met in the CSRC Library in November. Students engaged in discussions and worked with primary sources from the Chicano Movement era.
 
ELAC CARE students visit library
UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships hosted a workshop for thirty-six ELAC CARE students at the CSRC Library in November. ELAC CARE students are single-parent students interested in transferring into the UC system. Among the speakers was Xaviera Flores, CSRC librarian, who talked with students about the many services the library provides for UCLA and the broader community. She also spoke about library services that are available campus-wide and those available as part of the broader UC system.
 
To schedule a tour of the CSRC Library, contact CSRC Librarian Xaviera Flores at xflores@chicano.ucla.edu.
 

CSRC Press

CSRC Press holiday book sale!
Give the gift of books! CSRC Press books are now 50 percent off (plus tax and shipping) through December 21. This includes paperback books from the award-winning A Ver: Revisioning Art History series! Stop by 183 Haines Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m., or contact Darling Sianez at support@chicano.ucla.edu or 310-825-3428 to make your purchases. Browse all CSRC Press titles on our website. Please note: hardcover books in the A Ver series and subscriptions to Aztlán are not included in the sale.
 
Aztlán, the premier journal of Chicana/o studies, is inviting new submissions! Aztlán publishes scholarship relevant to Chicana/o studies from all disciplines and interdisciplinary research as well. We welcome submissions in English and Spanish. We are seeking submissions for all three areas of the journal:
 
Essays
Our essays are research-based and come from a wide variety of disciplines—literature, sociology, history, political science, the arts, linguistics, gender studies, ethnic studies, and many other fields—but they always engage the Chicana/o experience. All essays are peer reviewed and are frequently revised to meet the journal’s standards for quality research. Essays typically run about 10,000–12,000 words in length.
 
Dossiers
The dossier section provides a forum for multiple and shorter engagements with a specific theme that examines an aspect of Chicana/o studies; this might be an object of study, theoretical or disciplinary questions, a methodology, or one scholar’s work. The dossier section, while still of a scholarly nature, is designed to be exploratory, provocative, or experimental in approach. Aztlán will consider working with a guest curator—a scholar who wishes to create a dossier theme and can help manage dossier development. Contact Heather Birdsall at hbirdsall@chicano.ucla.edu to explore this opportunity.
 
Book Reviews
If you are interested in writing a book review for us, we will gladly consider suggested titles, or we can recommend a book that matches your field of interest. To inquire about reviews, contact our book review coordinator at revieweditor@chicano.ucla.edu.
 
To submit: All submissions should be sent to our submission inbox at submissions@chicano.ucla.edu. For complete information about Aztlán and our submission guidelines, please visit the CSRC website. Please direct queries to Heather Birdsall, assistant editor, at hbirdsall@chicano.ucla.edu. We look forward to receiving your submissions.
 

Opportunities

Call for applications: IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program for 2017-18
The Inter-University Program for Latino Research is now accepting applications for the IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program (academic year 2017-18). The program supports ABD doctoral students in the humanities who are writing dissertations in Latina/o studies. Doctoral students in the social sciences whose research uses humanities methods may also be considered. The fellowship facilitates completion of the dissertation and provides professional development, job market support, and mentoring for students who will graduate in Spring 2018.

With support from the Andrew G. Mellon Foundation, IUPLR will select fellows through five designated research centers. Applicants must be affiliated with the following centers to be eligible:  
 
The fellowship includes a $25,000 stipend and travel support to attend IUPLR conferences and a required two-week summer institute in Chicago. For more information and to view the online application, visit https://form.jotform.com/62325487948166
Application deadline: January 6. All queries should be directed to the Mellon coordinator, Dr. Jennifer Boles, jlboles@uic.edu.
 
Call for applications: IAC Visiting Scholars Program for 2017-18
The UCLA Institute of American Cultures (IAC) offers in-residence appointments to support postdoctoral research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/os. We especially encourage applications that advance our understanding of new social and cultural realities occasioned by the dramatic population shifts of recent decades, including greater heterogeneity within ethnic groups and increased interethnic contact. In the event that an award is for less than three quarters the stipend will be prorated in accordance with the actual length of the award.
 
The 2017-2018 IAC visiting scholars will receive funding for one or more quarters with an approximate stipend of $35,000 for three quarters (contingent upon rank, experience, and date of completion of their terminal degree). For visiting scholars who have a home institution, these funds can be used to supplement sabbatical support for a total that does not exceed the candidate’s current institutional salary. These visiting scholars will be paid through their home institution and will be expected to continue their health benefits through that source. Visiting scholars who do not have a home institution will receive a stipend for living expenses and may be eligible for health benefits. In the event that an award is for less than the nine-month appointment, the stipend will be prorated in accordance with the actual length of the award. Awardees may receive up to $4,000 in research support. The Bunche Center for African American Studies will not host a visiting scholar during the 2017-18 academic year. The online application is available at: https://sa.ucla.edu/IAC/VisitingScholar
Application deadline: January 12, 2017. For more information visit: http://www.iac.ucla.edu/fellowships_visitingscholar.html 
 
Call for papers: IUPLR Siglo XXI Conference
The Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR) will hold its sixth biennial Siglo XXI Conference at the University of Texas, San Antonio, May 17-19, 2017.  This year’s conference theme is “Mapping Latino Research.” Papers and panels are requested that address the state of Latino research, and research and methods that have the potential to improve understanding of U.S. Latinos today. Submissions deadline: January 30, 2017.
For more information: https://iuplr.uic.edu/iuplr/conferences/siglo-xxi-2017-call-for-papers. The CSRC is a founding member of the IUPLR.
 
Call for applications: IAC Research Grant Program in Ethnic Studies for 2017-18
The Institute of American Cultures (IAC), which houses the four ethnic studies research Centers (Asian American Studies Center, American Indian Studies Center, Bunche Center for African American Studies, and the Chicano Studies Research Center), announces the availability of small grants to UCLA students, faculty, and staff, and IAC visiting scholars only, for support of research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/os, as well as the new population dynamics. It particularly encourages proposals that will make a contribution to the research interests of the Ethnic Studies Research Centers, including interethnic/interracial and multiethnic/multiracial topics. The IAC also invites proposals that will increase collaboration between the Centers and/or between the Centers and other campus units. The online application is available at: https://sa.ucla.edu/IAC/ResearchGrant
Application deadline: March 13, 2017. For more information visit: http://www.iac.ucla.edu/fellowships_research.html