Event overview
"Literature, Education, and the Chicanx Adolescent: The Project of Educational Reform and Youth Literature in the Wake of the Chicano Movement" by Dr Cris Rhodes
Writing in 1975, the Council on Interracial Books for Children (CIBC) noted, that Chicanx literature for young readers “fail[ed] woefully” and, as a result, “[o]ne can only conclude that the effect of these books on a Chicano child’s self-image is a decidedly negative one. They undermine self-confidence, encourage dependency and feelings of helplessness, sap pride in culture and language and encourage the self-deprecating aspects of a sense of ‘otherness’." This proclamation came in their special issue on Chicano materials, released less than a decade after the Chicano Movement ended. That the CIBC made such an assessment at this time speaks to the dearth of materials that captured Chicanx adolescence in the early half of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, given the prominence of adolescents in the Movement, especially in their advocacy for education reform, an analysis of how literature constructs the unique and discrete Chicanx youth identity provides a new vantage point into studies of literature and Chicanidad. Ultimately, the Chicano Movement’s political dimensions shifted perceptions of and ideologies underpinning Chicanx adolescence and their capabilities.
Cris Rhodes is an assistant professor of English at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches courses on academic writing and ethnic literature. As a Latina and a scholar, much of her research centers Latinx childhoods from multiple, intersecting perspectives. She studies children's literature, film/television, ephemera, and other materials that engage Latinx youth and their experiences. Her current research centers speculative fiction, magical realism, and Latinx youth in literature. Her book, Facing Uncertain Futures: The Transformative Possibilities of Latinx Youth Literatures, is under advance contract. Cris is also the Book Review co-editor for the open access journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, and she serves the co-chair of the Américas Award committee for the 2023 award cycle.
Dates & times
Date | Time | Add to calendar |
---|---|---|
23 Apr 2024 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.