El Grito: A Journal of Contemporary Mexican-American Thought Archive - 1969-74

1969. [Chicano] [Mexican-American] El Grito: A Journal of Contemporary Mexican-American Thought. Berkley: Quinto Sol Publications, 1969-1974. Archive of 2 journals. Each have 84 pages. El Grito was published to highlight scholarship and creative work by Mexican Americans from the United States between 1967 and 1974. Included in this archive are; [1] El Grito: a journal of contemporary Mexican-American thought; vol. II, #2, Winter 1969. Highlighted articles include "The Historical and Intellectual Presence of Mexican-Americans", "The Negro Movement as an Anti-Revolution", and collected narratives and poetry by Chicano writers; and [2] Chicano Drama, El Grito Book Series; Year VII, June-August 1974. The introduction begins with a brief summation of Chicano theatre and it's emphasis on Mayan and Aztec mythology. It's contents include five Chicano dramas written by Alurista, Carlos Morton, and Alfonso C. Hernandez. El Grito was published by Quinto Sol, the first fully independent publishing house to surface from the Chicano movement in the 1960s. The name "Quinto Sol" is Spanish for "Fifth Sun" and it refers to the Aztec myth of creation and destruction. El Grito was the first national academic Chicano literary journal ever published in the U.S. The journal, whose name is Spanish for "the Shout," was "intended to raise awareness at what we could call a pan-Chicano/a nationalistic level". Considered an intellectual and independent critical space, it became a place where Chicano scholars, authors and artists could work to debunk the "culture of poverty" and other negative stereotypes attributed to Mexican Americans in the media at the time. The authors published in El Grito drew attention to the biases in academic realms regarding Mexican-Americans and attempted to rectify these blind spots. The texts became an important resource for those wanting to learn about the newly instituted discipline of Chicano Studies. El Grito also published advertisements geared towards high schools and other university departments to stress the importance of Quinto Sol materials in the classroom. Through the journal El Grito, Quinto Sol played a pivotal role in the process of institutionalizing Chicano culture as a legitimate field of inquiry. Binding is tight and pages are clean aside from the title pages having some pencil markings. Overall very good condition.