Tomas Ybarra Frausto posits rasquachismo as first being an attitude and a taste, both coming together
as a counter sensibility that does not abide by the eurocentric and classist parameters of “good taste”.
Rasquachismo does not concern itself with “lo que diran”, as it’s rooted in resourcefulness and
ultimately creates magic out of what’s at hand (85). It is a sensibility that is born out of working-class
realities, a resourcefulness many of us are familiar with. Frausto highlights the way the Chicano
Movement lived rasquachismo simply in reclaiming the word “Chicano”, mending and reinventing
their identity with a word that was once used against them (88). Dr. Amalia Mesa-Bains builds on
rasquachismo, theorizing domesticana, giving a name to the distinct and inventive artistry of
Chicanas that was often full of domestic space and objects. Mesa-Bains felt an urge to draw these
distinctions at a time when the work of Chicanas was being dismissed as kitsch, negating the ways
in which their artistry was rooted in a “shared barrio sensibility” of the working-class (92). One of the
most notable examples of domesticana is the home altar, according to Mesa-Bains. She argues that
the home altar has been a space for mujeres to establish a counterpoint space to the often patriarchal
rituals of Catholicism (93). This example further illustrates how domesticana is not only counterculture
to the dominant Anglo set parameters of aesthetics and good taste, but it’s also resistance within
Chicano and Mexicano culture (94). Domesticana centers the multifaceted experiences of
working-class women that make magic with what they have at their disposal.
as a counter sensibility that does not abide by the eurocentric and classist parameters of “good taste”.
Rasquachismo does not concern itself with “lo que diran”, as it’s rooted in resourcefulness and
ultimately creates magic out of what’s at hand (85). It is a sensibility that is born out of working-class
realities, a resourcefulness many of us are familiar with. Frausto highlights the way the Chicano
Movement lived rasquachismo simply in reclaiming the word “Chicano”, mending and reinventing
their identity with a word that was once used against them (88). Dr. Amalia Mesa-Bains builds on
rasquachismo, theorizing domesticana, giving a name to the distinct and inventive artistry of
Chicanas that was often full of domestic space and objects. Mesa-Bains felt an urge to draw these
distinctions at a time when the work of Chicanas was being dismissed as kitsch, negating the ways
in which their artistry was rooted in a “shared barrio sensibility” of the working-class (92). One of the
most notable examples of domesticana is the home altar, according to Mesa-Bains. She argues that
the home altar has been a space for mujeres to establish a counterpoint space to the often patriarchal
rituals of Catholicism (93). This example further illustrates how domesticana is not only counterculture
to the dominant Anglo set parameters of aesthetics and good taste, but it’s also resistance within
Chicano and Mexicano culture (94). Domesticana centers the multifaceted experiences of
working-class women that make magic with what they have at their disposal.
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