Rasquachismo and Domesticana

Week 4  - Blog Post: 

Before reading about Rasquachismo and Domesticana in Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology, I believed that the term rasquachismo had a negative connotation. I listed people using this word while I was growing up and people would often use it as an insult or a negative adjective to describe someone or something. I used to think that this word described a lazy person or a person who does not care about their appearance and did not want to get a job. After reading about this term in the book, I realized that the meaning of the word is used differently throughout time and space. In the present, this word is used as a cultural continuity. For people who want to reconnect to their roots and their history. They use elements that are associated with being Mexican, for example. Rasquachismo can be seen in art, music, movies, poetry, etc. It describes the way how the “thing” came to be. People use whatever is available to them to create. They are resourceful and have a different attitude towards what they do. 

On the other hand, the meaning of Domesticana adds on the experience of Chicanas in specific. They also display rasquachismo, but they display everyday experiences of the “domestic space.” In a way, it shows the gender roles there are in the Chicano Culture. The saying that women belong in the house cooking, cleaning and taking care of the family. I had never heard this word before, but now I understand it and I am able to distinguish it in the art of different female artists.