Towards a New Cholx Consciousness: The Visual Rhetorics of Cholx Artistas as a Method for Social Justice Movements
Abstract
My dissertation study examines the Cholx subculture through the artwork of Chola artistas Paola Rascón and Vicko Alvarez Vega. Growing up, I interacted easily with Cholos and Cholas, but I also knew that in society there was an overall negative idea of Cholos and Cholas. My research advances Cholx consciousness as a method for social movements through the examination of the visual and written rhetorics by Chola artistas. For my dissertation study, I have drawn on theoretical frameworks from Chicana Feminism, Latino Critical Theory, and Social Justice Rhetorics as discussed by Dolores Delgado Bernal, Kendall Leon, Tara Yosso, Daniel Solórzano, Victor Villanueva, Asao Inoue, and Gloria Anzaldúa. My research is qualitative, combining video interviews and participant observation research. I also examine art and writing produced by my research participants as cultural artifacts that provide evidence of the key themes they explore and present in their artforms. I also reflect on my own autoethnographic experiences as a Xicana scholar and author of comic books, plays, and films. I’m from a small colonia outside of El Paso, Texas, called Chaparral. I grew up in Cholo and Chola communities. I’m first-generation college in my large blended family. My mom emigrated from Chihuahua and my dad grew up in El Paso. As a scholar, I want to examine my own community to better understand my lived experiences. My research connects with the growing global interest of Cholx identity, arts, and culture. My goal is to put forth Cholx counter-storytelling as a method for Social Justice Rhetorics. I want to make salient the images and stories of the Cholx subculture in order to disrupt the oppressive systems and ideologies that have kept them racially and economically disadvantaged.
Subject Area
Rhetoric|Epistemology|Ethnic studies
Recommended Citation
Carrizal-Dukes, Elvira, "Towards a New Cholx Consciousness: The Visual Rhetorics of Cholx Artistas as a Method for Social Justice Movements" (2020). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI28091900.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI28091900