Week 4: Rasquachismo & Domesticana

    From my understanding of the reading, rasquachismo is a perspective or framework that emphasizes the empowerment in reclaiming aesthetics and elements that are often deemed less respectable or reflective of lower status (especially the Chicano working class). This attitude asserts the validity and attractiveness of these elements in order to deconstruct mainstream (often white upper class) understandings of artistic beauty. This framework both witfully challenges oppressive norms that preemptively disregard the Chicanx experience, and redefines potential modes of aesthetic and historical narration that affirm Chicanx identity. In order words, it takes what has been deemed conventionally unworthy and strategically reinvigorates it with worth. A notable element that is often carefully crafted and/or presented through a rasquachismo attitude is the every-day (symbols and customs), as it is often the target of control and a space of deep emotional memory. The most striking aspect of this attitude is its foundation in innate feeling, playfulness, and deflation of conventionality. It’s a powerful manifestation of satire in a manner that is vibrant, intense, and self-affirming. 

    An example of rasquachismo that I have personally witnessed daily since I was child is the modern installation of gang-affiliated graffiti art and its inclusion of gaudy placas, or markers of identity. Its current-day prevalence stands as a homage to classic graffiti art, and continues to validate desires to preserve legacy and Chicanx identity. Against the subjugation instilled by systemic racial stereotyping, this rasquache artistic expression vividly reclaims identity, honors Chicanx desire for belonging, and establishes pride in community. 

    Domesticana is the feminist implementation of the rasquachismo viewpoint. It maintains a feminist, decolonial lens that looks out not just at race and class, but also specifically gender. It intensely reclaims sites and symbols of gendered oppression. For instance, this framework has been noted as not merely denying spaces of domesticity, but instead reinventing the narration of these spaces in a way that honors the livelihood, memories, and existence. It illuminates symbols and sites such as the home altar and the bedroom in a way that redefines women’s liberation, reevaluates social roles, expands their potential, and renarrates Chicana experiences.