Maria Hsia Chang

Maria Hsia Chang is a political science professor at the University of Nevada in Reno. In the following viewpoint, Chang contends that a growing number of Chicanos (Mexican-Americans) are refusing to become a part of mainstream American society and are fueling interethnic tensions. Many Chicanos, she points out, reject the U.S.–Mexican border that was set up in 1848 and insist that the American Southwest is really Mexico. Emboldened by radical political activists, multiculturalism, and the current influx of Latino immigrants, Chicano nationalists resist assimilation and seek to “reclaim” the Southwest as their homeland. This refusal to assimilate, coupled with the low level of educational and economic achievement among Chicanos, aggravates interethnic hostilities, Chang concludes.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is Aztlan, according to Chang?
2. How do...