A Brief Note On Chicano/A/X Studies

The study of the history of various ethnic groups, cultures, and religions is one of the most profound ways an individual can grow their understanding of both themselves and the people around them. The study of gender is one aspect of research highlighting many of these groups’ foundational ideologies and what they provide cross-culturally. For example, the study of gender within Chicano/a/x may provide a researcher with a plethora of historical concepts and ideas that can bolster the understanding of the Chicano/a/x people as well as provide the researcher with new beliefs to inherit. In my personal experience from Chincano/a/x studies, I developed a greater understanding of the group’s challenges and acquired new ways to think about how gender

Because I was born and spend my pre-teen years on the island of Maui in Hawai’i, I was quite comfortable with perceptions of diversity like varying ethnicity, culture, and gender by the time I was old enough to begin understanding the importance that these concepts held. The mixing-pot style of culture present in many local communities of the islands of Hawai’i taught me to accept the differences that others retained. Additionally, the stigma of anti-bigotry and love for the community was what I believe greatly fostered my sense of acceptance for other cultures, genders, and

I can best describe my experiences as what I now consider to be culture shock; where my preconceived ideas about society and how people perceive one another was flipped on its head. Distinctly, I remember a moment in time when I asked whether there was a boy's school volleyball team, which was commonplace in Hawai’i, and the school teacher I asked was aghast at the notion. This is just one example of many of the cultural differences I found significant. Chiefly, the aspect of myself which I found to be criticized the most was my display, or lack thereof, of masculinity: I sat somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of masculinity. In this new environment, many of my pre-teen peers would make fun of the soft-spoken, delicate nature that I brought from my childhood. Essentially, I felt that it was taboo to be nice to others, be a little nerdy, not be involved in sports, and express how I felt about people and or ideas. Because of this, I was an outcast for a long time; I spent two to three years with little to no friends in my life, but I always thought it better to be true to myself than to sacrifice my integrity for a friendship. Naturally, of course, over the next four or so years I slowly found people who saw past the intransigent views that constrained the area which I moved to, Joshua