Chicano and Latino Studies

Description

Chicano and Latino studies resources in the Special Collections Department are part of the Boeckmann Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies collection. They support research and instruction relevant to Latinos in the United States, who may also identify as Hispanic /Hispano, Chicano/a, Latinx, or by national heritage, such as Mexican American, Cuban American and Central American. The primary clientele of the collection are students and faculty in USC’s Chicano/Latino Studies program, in American Studies and Ethnicity, and broadly in the humanities and social sciences. The collection also serves visiting scholars and the general public. Items in the collection are often featured in instruction, exhibitions and in USC Digital Library.

Current strengths date from 1848 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to the present, with a focus on 20thc. Los Angeles and Southern California, and selectively on other locations. Subject coverage includes literature, arts, culture, history, education, sociology, politics, civil rights, journalists, and early Spanish-language imprints from Los Angeles. Formats range from primary sources, ephemera, letters, photographs, and posters to rare books and pamphlets, historic periodicals, film and microfilm. Selected highlights include:

  • Ruben Salazar papers and those of other Latino journalists.
  • Chicano poets and writers and USC’s Festivales de Flor y Canto, 1973 and 2010.
  • Cuban California Archive, Aurelio de la Vega papers and Carlos Sebastian Lorente papers.

 

New Acquisitions

We continuously seek new materials that build on current strengths and unexplored areas that provide greater understanding of historical, cultural, social, political experiences and contributions of Latinos and Latino communities in greater Los Angeles and Southern California, and the historic or current impact of global issues. We welcome materials in these and related subjects:

  • Chicano civil rights movement
  • Immigration issues in Southern California
  • KMEX-TV (original film and documents)
  • Latino communities in the L.A. region
  • Latino food culture in L.A.
  • Latino journalists
  • Latino newspapers and periodicals
  • Latinos in arts, photography and music in L.A.
  • Spanish language in Los Angeles
  • US-Mexico border region