Rafael Perez-Torres, "Mestizaje: Critical Uses of Race in Chicano Culture" (Book Note)

 

In "Mestizaje: Critical Uses of Race in Chicano Culture," Pérez-Torres explores the concept of race mixture among Chicanos, asserting the significance of a Chicano mestizo voice. He argues that in the Latino New World, bodies of racially mixed individuals symbolize sites embodying awareness of social inequity and the resulting contradictions. Pérez-Torres contends that Chicano popular art, literature, and expressive culture prominently feature the theme of race mixture or 'mestizaje,' driving cultural production. The focus spans Chicano popular music, poster art, and literature, emphasizing the role of mestizo voices in challenging the dominant US social order.

 

Pérez-Torres's understanding of mestizaje extends beyond biological notions of race-mixture to encompass social and cultural phenomena like 'transculturation' and 'hybridity.' Positioned within cultural criticism's exploration of contact zones and borderlands, his use of the term 'mestizaje' with explicit racial connotations stands out. This choice contrasts with Nestór García Canclini's preference for 'hybridization,' reflecting a broader perspective beyond biological race and a rejection of the nationalist narrative tied to the term 'mestizaje' in the Mexican context.

 

Pérez-Torres embraces 'mestizaje' for Chicanos due to its explicit racial dimension, challenging mainstream US discourses that often overlook Chicano experiences of racialization. He asserts the centrality of race as a critical intervention in Chicano criticism, which tends to focus on borderlands, violence, and bilingualism. Pérez-Torres sees the racial dimension of a critical mestizo voice as crucial for revealing the asymmetrical race relations in US society and empowering mestizas and mestizos to adopt new subjectivities that address a history of racial conflict. Ultimately, Pérez-Torres explores how cultural mestizaje embodies both utopian possibilities of aggregation and the contradictions and tensions produced by racial mixture, shaping the cultural expression of Chicano thought and identity.

 

In each chapter of this book, Pérez-Torres presents a cultural and political study in essay form, delving into various aspects of the mestizo voice. The introduction and first chapter lay the foundation for his concept of mestizaje, offering a detailed examination of academic and popular perspectives on race mixture. Chapter 2 explores mestizo voice in diverse texts, including the film Giant and the writings of Oscar 'Zeta' Acosta and Sandra Cisneros. Chapter 3 delves into the musical realm, analyzing artists like Los Lobos, Delinquent Habits, and Rage Against the Machine, who consciously employ formal mestizaje by blending distinct sounds and musical influences. Chapter 4 focuses on the role of Chicano public art, specifically poster art, in shaping notions of mestizaje. Chapters 5 and 6 center on the mestizo body as a site of knowledge, examining literary works by Emma Pérez, Gil Cuadros, Gary Soto, Victor Martinez, and Pat Mora.

 

While Pérez-Torres's writing occasionally delves into theoretical intricacies, his more compelling analyses emerge from close readings of specific cultural and literary texts. Chapter 3, for instance, provides a focused and concise analysis of three albums released in 1996 by Los Angeles musicians, revealing a critical dialogue about Chicano and American consciousness. Although the analysis leans toward celebrating a Chicano masculine aesthetic, subsequent chapters explore mestizo and mestiza voices that challenge normative assertions of Chicano identity, acknowledging the diversity within this cultural landscape.

 

The study's primary strength lies in its detailed exploration of mestizo and mestiza voices. However, this focus may result in a limitation, as it overlooks a broader dialogue with other discourses on racial and ethnic self-identification. Pérez-Torres acknowledges that his study aims to trace how race mixture embodies awareness of social inequity and contradictions. Nevertheless, his claims about mestizaje's liberatory potential prompt consideration of engaging with the discursive silences and alternative perspectives within the discourse. For instance, a comprehensive study of race mixture for US Mexican origin peoples should address the common discursive exclusion of African ancestry from the mixed racial heritage of Mexican and US Mexican descent individuals. Additionally, while many identify as mestizos and mestizas, others choose alternative racial/ethnic self-conceptualizations, such as 'Latinos and Latinas,' 'Mexican-Americans,' 'Hispanics,' 'Spanish-Americans,' 'indigenous,' or 'bi-racial.' Engaging with these diverse voices is essential for a nuanced understanding of Chicano perspectives on race and race mixture.