- Photo bySan José Library
The first Chicana/o Studies book I ever purchased was Occupied America: A History of Chicanos by Rodolfo F. Acuña for an introductory Chicana/o history class at East Los Angeles College.
Occupied America is, without a doubt, the most influential book in the history of Chicana/o letters.
With the struggle to dismantle Chicana/o Studies in Tucson and other regions, it is very important that we defend Chicana/o Studies.
My basic argument is that in the post-1970s, a weak Chicana/o Studies has equated to a weak Chicana/o community.
Anyone who will tell you otherwise, is lying and does not understand Occupied America nor do they understand Chicana/o Studies.
As one of the books banned in the recent assault on Chicana/o Studies in the Tucson Unified School District, Occupied America has been maliciously misinterpreted and misrepresented by people, such as the former Arizona state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
Through Occupied America, Dr. Acuña laid the foundation for an intellectual pedagogy, methodology, discourse and discipline that has come to be known as Chicana/o Studies.
Source: A Reflection on Occupied America: A History of Chicanos | Notes from Aztlán