CSRC Newsletter - February 2015

Volume 13, Number 5

Director’s Message

Last week I had the pleasure of introducing my colleague Alicia Gaspar de Alba for a CSRC event celebrating the publication of her latest book, [Un]Framing the “Bad Woman”: Sor Juana, Malinche, Coyolxauhqui, and Other Rebels with a Cause. I have known Alicia since my first year as a professor at the University of New Mexico. That was back in 1991. She was a doctoral student in the Department of American Studies, but she was already known as a poet. The late Yolanda Retter Vargas—our former librarian—was also a student at that time, and I got to know each of them quite well. Shortly after the academic year began, Alicia asked me to chair her dissertation—my first! She was interested in studying the Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (CARA) exhibition that was traveling the country at the time and would shortly open at the Albuquerque Museum. And so together, the two of us started going down the path of learning about Chicano art.

 

I’m inclined to say that Alicia made me “up my game” as a professor, but that’s not quite right, since I had just started that game. So it is more accurate to say that she made me start my game at a high level. She also set a very high standard for all the doctoral students I worked with after her. Her dissertation won the American Studies Association’s Ralph Henry Gabriel Prize for the Best Dissertation in American Studies in 1994. The book version was published in 1998 and remains a foundational text in the study of Chicano art. I was thrilled when Alicia joined me as a colleague at UCLA, and I benefited greatly from her contributions as the CSRC’s associate director early in my tenure as director. Her tireless efforts brought international attention to the maquiladora murders. She organized an international conference on the issue, held at UCLA in 2003, recruiting Eve Ensler, founder of V-Day, as the keynote speaker and Amnesty International as the cosponsor. Indeed, Alicia is committed to scholarly and creative work that makes a difference, but she is equally committed to the work itself—its intellectual rigor and expressive dimension. She knows that there is no politics without art and no art without politics—and that they are not the same.

 

Chon A. Noriega

Director and Professor

 

Spotlight: Huerta and Morales on The Association of Latin American Gardeners of Los Angeles

In the current issue of Aztlán (vol. 39, no. 2), urban and regional planning professors Alvaro Huerta and Alfonso Morales look at the formation of The Association of Latin American Gardeners of Los Angeles (ALAGLA) and outline the group’s 1998 campaign to reverse Los Angeles’s ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. The authors note that the group’s success indicates marginalized immigrant workers can effect change through collective action. An excerpt from the article can be found here. Look for a related symposium organized by Huerta at the CSRC this spring.

 

CSRC mentioned in Carnegie Foundation recognition

UCLA has been selected to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s 2015 Community Engagement Classification, which recognizes colleges and universities for their community partnerships. The work of the CSRC was one of the examples mentioned by the Carnegie committee in its evaluation of how well UCLA’s campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices support collaborations between the university and the community and contribute to important community agendas. CSRC director Chon A. Noriega was a member of the UCLA Community Engagement Committee, formed in 2013. UCLA is one of 361 higher education institutions that hold the Community Engagement Classification.

 

López named Jewish Federation New Leaders Program fellow

Marissa K. López, associate professor of English and CSRC associate director, was recently selected as one of thirty fellows to participate in the New Leaders Program of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. The program runs through 2015 and aims to train future civic leaders by fostering their skills as innovative problem solvers and program builders. López will represent the CSRC during her year as an NLP fellow.

 

Catanzarite named director of research and evaluation for UNITE-LA

CSRC congratulates Lisa Catanzarite on her new position as director of research and evaluation for UNITE-LA and the Education and Workforce Development Division of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. UNITE-LA promotes and supports the development of business and community partnerships with schools, so that all students have access to education and training opportunities that can prepare them for high-skill, high-wage careers. Catanzarite was the CSRC’s senior research sociologist in 2002-04.

 

Ruiz acknowledged for nursing program in Cuba

A program developed by Maria Elena Ruiz, assistant adjunct professor at the UCLA School of Nursing and former CSRC associate director, was the focus of a January 29 article in UC Health. The program, which Ruiz developed with Adey Nyamathi, associate dean for international research and scholarly activities, affords UCLA nursing students the opportunity to travel to Havana for one week to learn about Cuba’s health care system and how a first-world, prevention-focused primary health care system functions in a third-world economy. (PDF)

 

Chávez interviewed for Borderlands History Interview Project

Last month the Borderlands History Interview Project (BHIP) on the Borderlands History blog featured an interview with Ernesto Chávez, associate professor of history at the University of Texas, El Paso, and this year’s CSRC IAC visiting scholar. In the interview Chávez discusses his current book project on Mexican-born American silent film star Ramon Novarro. The photo of Chávez that appears with the interview was taken by Christopher Anthony Velasco, CSRC digital and photographic support staff. (PDF)

 

Herrera publishes article

CSRC visiting researcher Juan Herrera published the article “¡La Lucha Continua! Gloria Arellanes and the Making of a Chicano Movement in El Monte and Beyond” on the online publication Tropics of Meta, which focuses on issues pertaining to historiography. For his research Herrera drew from an oral history of Arellanes conducted by Virginia Espino, program coordinator for Latina and Latino history at the UCLA Center for Oral History and member of the CSRC Faculty Advisory Committee. (PDF)

 

Call for submissions: Regeneración Tlacuilolli

Regeneración Tlacuilolli: UCLA Raza Studies Journal invites submissions for its second issue, to be published in Summer 2015. The journal is committed to exploring intellectual, cultural, and historic issues pertinent to Chicanas, Chicanos, Latinas, Latinos, indigenous peoples, and Latin Americans. The journal’s interdisciplinary perspective enables a critical examination of the history and culture of these intrinsically related groups and the historic and social implications of colonialism, racism, capitalism, sexism, and homophobia on and within these communities. For information on submitting to the journal, see http://www.escholarship.org/uc/regeneracion_tlacuilolli or contact tlacuilolli@ucla.edu. Deadline for submissions: Sunday, March 15, 2015. Regeneración Tlacuilolli is sponsored by the CSRC.

 

Call for nominations: UCLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award

UCLA students, staff, and faculty are invited to participate in the nomination process for the UCLA Academic Senate’s 2015 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. The award celebrates and reinforces the contributions made by those in the UCLA campus community who have furthered a diverse, impartial, and inclusive academic environment. The Committee on Diversity and Equal Opportunity (CODEO) will name a faculty member and a student, each of whom will receive an award of $2,000. Deadline for submissions: Friday, February 20, 2015. Information describing the purpose, eligibility, criteria, and nomination instructions for the award is available on the Academic Senate website: http://www.senate.ucla.edu/DiversityEquityandInclusionAward.htm. You will need to log on using your UCLA login and password. CSRC associate director Marissa K. López is the Chair of CODEO.

 

New videos on CSRC YouTube

 

“How a Pioneering Chicano Film is Enjoying Rediscovery”

NBC Latino reported on the induction of Please, Don’t Bury Me Alive!/¡Por Favor, No Me Entierren Vivo! (1976) into the Library of Congress National Film Registry. CSRC director and film and television professor Chon A. Noriega and filmmaker Efraín Gutiérrez were interviewed for the story.

NBC Latino, January 29, 2015 (PDF)

 

“National Film Registry Saves ‘Ferris Bueller’ and First Chicano Feature Ever Made From Extinction”

REMEZCLA reported on the induction of Please, Don’t Bury Me Alive!/¡Por Favor, No Me Entierren Vivo! (1976) into the National Film Registry, elaborating on the social and industrial context in which the film was produced and the cultural significance of it entering the registry.

REMEZCLA, January 13, 2015 (PDF)

 

“Gaspar de Alba Wins 2015 Book Award”

UCLA Newsroom reported Alicia Gaspar de Alba received the 2015 Book Award from the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education for [Un]framing the “Bad Woman”: Sor Juana, Malinche, Coyolxauhqui, and Other Rebels with a Cause (University of Texas Press, 2014). The article announced a book-signing event at the CSRC on January 28.

UCLA Newsroom, January 7, 2015 (PDF)

 

“Film Rescued by UCLA Prof Makes the National Film Registry”

UCLA Newsroom reported on the induction of Please, Don’t Bury Me Alive!/¡Por Favor, No Me Entierren Vivo! (1976) into the Library of Congress National Film Registry. The film, considered the first Chicano feature, was recovered and restored due to the efforts of CSRC director Chon A. Noriega.

UCLA Newsroom, January 7, 2015 (PDF)

 

All “In the News” articles are available in PDF format on the CSRC website.

 

Conference: “The Use(fulness) of Nauatl Dialects Spoken Today for the Study of Written Nauatl from the 16th and 17th Centuries”

Wednesday, February 4, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 5, 10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

CSRC Library—144 Haines Hall

A two-day conference organized by the UCLA Latin American Institute featuring special guest speaker Una Canger, professor emeritus, University of Copenhagen. The conference is cosponsored by the Center for Mexican Studies, the Linguistics Department, the History Department, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies, and the CSRC. For a full program schedule, visit the Latin American Institute website.

 

Talk: CSRC director and film and TV professor Chon A. Noriega

Wednesday February 4, 12:00–2:00 p.m.

USC Graduate Fine Arts Building (IFT), 3001 S. Flower (at 30th St.), Los Angeles, 90007

CSRC director and UCLA film and television professor Chon A. Noriega will speak at the USC Roski School of Art and Design as part of its Graduate Lecture Series.

 

Book talk: Julie A. Dowling presents Mexican Americans and the Question of Race

Friday, February 6, 1:30–3:00 p.m.

CSRC Library—144 Haines Hall

Julie A. Dowling is associate professor in the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has published articles on Latino racial identity construction and racial attitudes in a variety of journals. Her publications have received multiple accolades, including the Distinguished Contribution to Research Award for “Best Article” from the Latino/a Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association. Dowling’s Mexican Americans and the Question of Race (University of Texas Press, 2014) explores the disjuncture between federal definitions and regional constructions of race, examining Mexican American responses to the question about racial identity that is asked during the U.S. census. This event is organized by the Department of Sociology’s Race and Ethnicity Working Group and cosponsored by the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, the Department of Sociology, and the CSRC. A reception will follow the talk.

 

Book talk: Marjorie Agosin presents “Tales of Valparaiso: A Poet Remembers”

Wednesday, February 11, 3:00–5:00 p.m.

CSRC Library—144 Haines Hall

Marjorie Agosin is the Luela Lamer Slaner Professor of Latin American Studies at Wellesley College. She is a poet and essayist, and she made her debut as a novelist with I Lived on Butterfly Hill (Antheneum Books, 2014). Agosin is also an internationally recognized human rights activist and the recipient of the United Nations Leadership Award and the Gabriela Mistral Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement. Agosin’s books, I Lived on Butterfly Hill, Secrets in the Sand: The Young Women of Juarez (White Pine Press, 2006), and Of Earth and Sea: A Chilean Memoir (University of Arizona Press, 2008), will be available for purchase at the event. The event is organized by the LGBT Studies Program and is cosponsored by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Center for Jewish Studies, the Latin American Institute, the Department of Gender Studies, the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies, and the CSRC. A reception will follow the reading.

 

All CSRC events are free unless otherwise noted. Programs are subject to change. For the most current information, visit the Events page on the CSRC website.

 

CSRC Library hosts former unaccompanied immigrants

In January the CSRC Library hosted twenty-five students from Clinton Middle School in downtown Los Angeles. The tour was coordinated by their teacher and UCLA Chicana/o studies alum, Marisela Ruiz Gaytan. The students, who had immigrated from Mexico, Central America, or South America, came to the United States unaccompanied by an adult. Many spent some of last year in an Arizona detention center that received media attention because of its deplorable conditions. We look forward to seeing these students again as they continue to pursue their education.

 

Library exhibition: Make ’Em All Mexican: Works by Linda Vallejo

The work of Los Angeles artist Linda Vallejo is featured in an exhibition at the CSRC Library through March 20. The exhibition include works from Vallejo’s acclaimed Make ’Em All Mexican series, plus excerpts from critical essays, publications that feature the series, and objects from the CSRC’s portfolio of the artist in its collections. The Make ’Em All Mexican series uses humor and irony to question whether race, color, and class define our status in the world. The artist states, “It has taken my entire artistic career to fuse an image that defines my multicultural experience of the world and my place in it. Like most of my contemporaries I was taught the finer points of the Western classics, art, and architecture, but later found myself living and creating in a milieu where symbols of beauty and culture were manifest in a decidedly alternate circumstance.” The fall 2014 issue of Aztlán features an essay by the artist as well as works from the Make ’Em All Mexican series; an excerpt from the essay can be read here. Make ’Em All Mexican is on display in the CSRC Library and vitrine. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours, Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

 

To learn more about CSRC collections and projects, please email your queries to the CSRC librarian, Lizette Guerra, at lguerra@chicano.ucla.edu.

 

Aztlán moving to new online platform

Aztlán will be moving to ingentaconnect soon: the new Aztlán access page is anticipated go live during the month of April. Subscribers will enjoy ingentaconnect’s state-of-the-art functionality, including RSS feeds for new issues, easy citation export, interlinking between articles, and social bookmarking. And, as always, subscribers have full access to every issue of Aztlán, from Spring 1970 through the present. If you are a current subscriber—individual or institutional—you will receive an email containing information about how to access Aztlán through the ingentaconnect research platform.

 

IAC Research Grant Program in Ethnic Studies

The Institute of American Cultures invites applications from UCLA faculty, staff, graduate students, and IAC Visiting Scholars/Researchers for support of research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicana/os for 2015-16. The Institute also invites proposals on interethnic relations that will increase collaboration between the Centers and/or between the Centers and other campus units.

The Research Grant Program is on a reimbursement basis only. Ordinarily, faculty projects will be funded for no more than $10,000 and graduate student projects for no more than $7,000. Funds for the purchase of permanent equipment will be provided only under exceptional circumstances. Conference travel, whether the applicant is presenting or attending, is ineligible.

Eligibility

UCLA faculty, staff, graduate students, and IAC Visiting Scholars/Researchers.
 

Grant Period
July 1, 2015, through May 31, 2016.

Deadline
Applications must be received by April 20, 2015, 11:59 p.m. Awards will be announced by mid-June.

 

For more information, visit: http://www.iac.ucla.edu/fellowships_research.html

 

***

The 2014-15 academic year marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the CSRC. If you value our work, please consider giving a tax-deductible donation of $45. To give $45 for our 45^th, click here. Any amount is welcome. Thank you for your support.

 

Image: Ernesto Chávez. Photo by Christopher A. Velasco, 2014.