Chicano/a Children’s Literature: A Transaztlantic Reader’s History
Keywords:
Chicano/a children's literature, transatlantic history, literary historiography, cultural capital, rhizomatic forces, nineteenth-century literatureAbstract
This article analyzes the history of Chicano/a children's literature through a transatlantic reader's perspective, challenging traditional period-based approaches. The author contends that Chicano/a literary history should be understood as a fluid interaction with other cultural groups rather than a self-contained chronicle. The paper explores four specific aspects: nineteenth-century literature influenced by Spanish and Latin American contexts, the depiction of Chicano/a children in mainstream twentieth-century books, literature produced during the Chicano/a Movement, and the current market for Chicano/a children's books. This study examines how political events, demographic shifts, and cultural transformations have shaped Chicano/a children's literature, emphasizing the rhizomatic and transnational forces that influence its development. The article demonstrates the need for further research in this area while acknowledging the historicity of terms like 'Chicano/a' and 'child'.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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