Week 4: Rasquachismo and Domesticana

In reading Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology and focusing on Tomas Ybarra-Fausto’s Rasquachismo there was a detailed explanation of what Rasquachismo means in the context of Chicanos. As the explanation offers that “rasquachismo is neither an idea not a style more of an attitude or a taste” (85). This suggests that the greater idea of rasquachismo is a social construct that labels those with low taste something of a lower social class ranking. This word focuses on the social reality of low-income Chicanos who struggled in daily survival.  Rasquashismo is also centered around “aesthetic expression comes from discards, fragments, even recycled everyday materials such as tires [and] broken plates” (92). Additionally, when reading in Amalia Mesa-Bains Domesticana, the original perspective of Rasquashismo does not share proper views that include women in the discourse of art and the relations as they are only seen within the domestic setting. Mesa-Bains mentions the cultural influences “relevant to the work of Chicana artists related to the home, the community, and the church” (91). These pieces within artist work can make reference in feminist and art history theory reflecting on the feminist perspectives of rasquashismo. Chicana Domesticana shares the feminist aspect that challenge the differences addressing identity, sexuality, and power as a Chicana domesticana.