Blog 6 -- Rasquachismo

Created and theorized by Chicano scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, Rasquachismo is “an underdog perspective, a view from los de abajo”. Moreover, this term heavily focuses towards the chicano work class, using ideas such as “hybridization, juxtaposition, and integration”. Being new to this term, I was mesmerized by the way it's used in many different shapes and forms. Particularly, the root of this term is said to be towards the idea of survival and maximizing a certain resource as much as possible. To the individuals who live under this lifestyle, we find this completely normal; however, to others, they find it as an “irrational” way of living.  With this rooted definition, I feel as if it plays a substantial role in my life and my ethnic background. While I do not originate from hispanic descent, the term, rasquachismo, centers around my life, my characteristics, and my family's way of living. As some may know, I come from Syrian descent, and the way my relatives have lived, alongside with the rest of the people who live in Syria, use survival methods as their normal way of living. In summer of 2019, I got the opportunity to visit Syria; and as far as I can say, the way that my Syrian people did things, such as saving water and fuel, truly opened my eyes. Specifically, my grandfather is an individual that I learned a lot from. I can recall my grandfather using empty yogurt cups as cups to not only use for drinking water, but as templates to properly cut dough in perfect circles. I won’t shy away from my jido’s (grandpa) way of saving a few because that’s how my culture is and I’m truly proud of it.