Some Chicano scholars say the beginning of the Chicano activist movement was the defense of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) in 1521, which pitted the indigenous Mexican population against Spanish invaders. Others define it as the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, when Mexico lost half of its territory to the United States and Mexican residents became, as one scholar put it, "strangers in their own land."

Little scholarly disagreement exists, however, as to the time frame of the emergence of the modern Chicano movement -- it can be directly pegged to the mid-1960s, a time coinciding with the last great thrust of the Black civil rights movement.

In essence, the Chicano movement embodied an across-the-board push for civil and human rights that placed an emphasis on increased entry, presence and relevance in the racially barricaded and cloistered bastions of American higher education. This led to colleges and universities becoming targets of protest -- and a resultant opening of doors and minds that led to the creation of Chicano studies.

Ada Sosa-Riddell, director of the Chicana/Latina Center at the University of California-Davis, says that Chicano studies represents one of the long-lasting legacies of the Chicano movement. However, with the advent of the anti-affirmative action mood of the country, she says, danger is in the air.

"But you can't destroy Chicano studies. You would have to burn the literature," says Sosa-Riddell.

In fact, many scholars maintain that the anti-immigrant, anti-affirmative action stance of politicians nationwide has been responsible for a resurgence of Chicano activism on campus.

Purposefully Pursued Agenda

During the 1960s, the Chicano movement was actually comprised of several components: boycotts to improve the lives of farm workers; demonstrations to end Jim Crow-style segregation and police repression; demands for land-grant equity; protests to improve educational opportunities; and organizing for political representation and self-determination.