(I’ve lived in Asia for the past 16 years, so I’m outta touch.)
When I grew up in Norcal in the 1970’s, the term Chicano was put forth by the locals of Mexican ancestry. I might add that they “lobbied” for this term quite aggressively and some might say violently. This was also the time Oscar Zeta “the Brown Buffaloe” Acosta. See this link: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/cema/acosta.html
Now I see the term “Latino” and “Hispanic” but not “Chicano”. Has “Chicano” become passe, politically incorrect, insulting or what? In general usage, what’s the difference between “Latino” and “Hispanic”?
About half my students are of Mexican descent, and they prefer Mexican. I also have students whose families come from a variety of Central American countries (last year, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) and they seem to have a slight preference for Latino over Hispanic. No student of mine has ever used the word Chicano.
Today “Chicano” usually implies a political stance. Personally, while I live in a community that is over 80% Mexican-American, I usually hear “Chicano” only in the context of political activists, campus groups, protest movements and so on. However I live in Texas, which is still rather conservative. Half the time people simply say “Mexican”, and say “Hispanic” in more formal usage. Even “Latino” sounds strange to many people here.
Specifically, for many peope, “Chicano” signifies a cultural identity which neither Mexican from Mexico, nor assimilated into “anglo” culture (ie. “Spanglish”, distinctive tastes in music, clothing, from both Anglo-Americans and Mexican citizens) , and a leftist political stance - though I once knew a Republican who was very much a Chicano culturally.
I can’t speak for the other political connotations of the term, but I believe “Chicano” refers only to Americans of Mexican descent. So it is more specific than (and not synonymous with) the more general “Latino” and “Hispanic”.
In general usage I don’t think there is a difference – the terms refer to the same group of people. “Hispanic” is the term currently favored by the US government. However, many people who are so labeled prefer “Latino”. Some feel that “Hispanic” reduces their culture and heritage to nothing but a shared language.
Being Chicana, a US-born woman of Mexican ancestry, I prefer Hispanic to Latina. I always perceived Chicano to be an overused, political label. I don’t like it for myself. More accurately, I’m a Californio, one of Los Angelinos, the familia having been in California when it was Mexico. I am a good physical example of a conqured people: My dad and his dad are very Indio(small boned, dark skin and eyes and straight hair), my grandmothers very Spanish (taller, white skin, light eyes)and I am tall with light skin and black curly hair and meltingly brown eyes. My family wonders what the name of THAT French soldier was!
I don’t consider myself Mexican----no family in Mexico and I only went to Tiajuana once and hated it.
From your site: “the division in usage seems as related to geography as it is to politics, with Latino widely preferred in California and Hispanic the more usual term in Florida and Texas.”
Cyn differs from the above. Any other people out there with a Latino/Hispanic background care to share their thoughts?
I also live in Texas, in a community that is >50% Hispanic in a region that is probably >75% Hispanic. Most Hispanics I know around here use the terms “Hispanic” and “Mexican” (or “Mexican-American”) exclusively and interchangibly, and don’t get visibly offended when a non-Hispanic uses either. I say “Hispanic” since I think it’s presumptuous to assume that someone is either from Mexico or identifies themselves as such.
I NEVER hear “Latino/a”, and I’ve only known one Hispanic, who was older and militant, who ever refered to themselves as “Chicano”. So, along the Texas border, at least, “Chicano” is in disuse: Probably more passe than non-PC. If I used it, I’d expect funny looks, not a beating.