History of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press

For over three decades, the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press has remained at the forefront of the field with publications that garner international attention for breaking new ground.

Founded in 1969, the CSRC Press was partly responsible for the founding and flowering of Chicano studies in the 1970s by launching the careers of young academics who could not find mainstream publishers.

The mainstay of the press is Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, first published in 1970. It was one of the first academic journals to focus on Chicanos, and it remains the premier journal in the field. It is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that appears twice a year.

The press was reorganized in 1996 under the leadership of Wendy Belcher and Chon A. Noriega. Two new series—Latino Policy and Issues Brief and CSRC Research Report—were launched to disseminate findings from the latest research in Chicano and Latino studies. The CSRC also instituted a monthly electronic newsletter to provide information about the CSRC's programs and events and the latest publications from CSRC Press.

The Chicano Cinema and Media Art Series presents historic Chicano films in DVD format. The first DVD was released in 2004.

In 2005 the CSRC Press launched the Chicano Archives series, which surveys the collections of the CSRC Library and Archive. The first book in the groundbreaking A Ver: Revisioning Art History book series, which focuses on Latino artists, was published in 2007.

In 2006 the CSRC Press, along with the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging and the USC Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, in partnership with the National Hispanic Council on Aging and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), began two new series: Latinos and Economic Security Policy Brief and Latinos and Economic Security Research Report. These publications present research on the economic security of the growing number of Latino retirees. Two of the policy briefs are available in Spanish translation.

Awards and Honors

The CSRC Press has won a number of awards and honors for its publications.

In 2010, Yolanda M. López, by Karen Mary Davalos (A Ver, volume 2) received an honorable mention at the annual NACCS Book Awards.

In 2009 three books received awards at International Latino Book Awards: The Art of Healing Latinos: Firsthand Accounts from Physicians and Other Health Advocates, edited by David E. Hayes-Bautista and Roberto Chiprut (First Place, Nonfiction Health Book in English); Paths to Discovery: Autobiographies from Chicanas with Careers in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering, edited by Norma E. Cantú (2nd Place, Nonfiction Biography in English); and Yolanda M. López, by Karen Mary Davalos (Honorable Mention, Arts Book in English).

The first book to win an award was Floricanto, a book of poetry by Alurista, which was honored for its design. The first volume in the Chicano Archive series, on a community arts organization called Self Help Graphics & Arts in East Los Angeles, was awarded "Best Reference Book" at the Eighth Annual International Latino Book Awards. CSRC Press DVDs have been chosen for several important exhibitions at major museums.

Among other notable books are:

A Community Under Siege (1984), Rodolfo F. Acuña's widely regarded history of East Los Angeles.

An Illustrated History of Mexican Los Angeles, 1781-1985 (1986), by Antonio Ríos-Bustamante.

No Longer a Minority (1992), by public health expert David Hayes-Bautista, with Aida Hurtado, R. Burciaga Valdez, and Anthony C.R. Hernández.

The Chicano Studies Reader (2001; 2010), an anthology of cutting-edge articles from Aztlán, now in a revised and expanded second edition.

Gronk (2007), by Max Benevides, the first volume in the A Ver: Revisioning Art History series.

Previous Names

Aztlán Publications, Chicano Studies Center, UCLA (1970)

Chicano Studies Center-Publications, UCLA (1971-1979)

Chicano Studies Research Center Publications, UCLA (1980-1992)

UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Publications (1992-2002)

Current full name: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press (2003-)

ISBN Prefix: 978-0-89551

SAN:  209-097X

Praise for Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies

Over the years, Aztlán has received praise from a number of readers and reviewers.

After the first issue, one UCLA professor wrote:

"I am greatly impressed by the high quality of the entire volume and its major contributions. Keep it up! That you have been able to produce such a fine piece of work under probably very difficult circumstances testifies to the ability of the editors and to the scholarly resources among Chicanos. You have reason to be proud of this effort."

— Leo Grebler, letter to the editor (July 6, 1970)

An important reviewer said:

"This handsome journal is both written and edited by Chicano members of academic communities ... to serve as coordinator between Chicano people and institutions of higher education in seeking solutions ... will be a source for the general public as well as the teacher. Authors handle relevant topics with analytical skill while avoiding the dry prose of disciplinary jargon. ... Carefully documented articles ... Essential for minority studies collections, academic and public libraries with Mexican-American constituents."

— Katz, Bill, and Linda Sternberg Katz. 1972. Magazines for Libraries. 2nd ed.

In its second year, a UCLA graduate student, who went on to be the director of the center in the 1990s, wrote that

"The spring issue of Aztlán clearly represents the vanguard in Chicano analysis and intellectual independence ... The road that Aztlán has taken can establish solid foundations for the field of Chicano Studies which must consist of the systematic examination as well as the practical attempt at solutions of Chicano problems. One of the greatest strengths of Aztlán is the variety of Chicano issues it presents and the varieties of perspectives from which it approaches them. ... It is hoped this attitude adopted by the editors of the journal will encourage other Chicanos in search for ... new approaches to our problems ... [Our] hope rests in a new attitude about ourselves as a people with a common purpose in search of viable means to determine our destiny. Well-rounded and serious, this journal will serve as an intellectual catalyst to further discussion and study of the problems Chicanos must accept as inherent in their struggle to define their lives in the midst of a society that demands their disappearance."

— Hernandez, Guillermo. 1972. "A Look at a Chicano Journal." The Daily Californian (UCB) no. 73 (May 5).

In 1976, the journal was still creating a stir:

"Aztlán serves as a forum for research and essays related to the Chicano, covering such topics as history, bilingualism, sociology, politics, law, health, art, theater and migration. Now in its sixth year, the journal contains articles by students and lay experts as well as internationally known scholars. It has become a major source of discussion, analysis and information for the scholarly study of the Chicano."

— [UCLA] University Bulletin 25, no. 2 (July 26, 1976).

"[Aztlán] consists of extensive, well-documented articles."

—Proyecto Leer no. 15 (Fall 1976)

"Aztlán, the preeminent Chicano academic periodical, apparently has achieved its own objective, as stated in Volume 1, No. 1: "... to focus scholarly discussion and analysis on Chicano matters as they relate to the group and to the total American society..." Articles are drawn from the arts and social sciences and use an interdisciplinary approach taking in areas such as economics, history, philosophy, politics, and literature. Each issue consists of eight to 15 articles by academics, primarily from major universities in California and Texas. In addition, there are book reviews or bibliographic essays, poems, and original art work on the covers and the first page of each article. ... We recommend Aztlán for all academic and public libraries with Chicano patrons."

— Susan M. Bryl and James P. Danky. 1976. "Alternative Periodicals." Wilson Library Bulletin (April): 628-632.

In 1980, about ten years after its founding, another journal picked Aztlán as the leading journal in "Mexican American studies":

"Aztlán is a respected and scholarly journal in a field whose publications can puzzle librarians because of their irregularity of publication, mergers, and even total disappearance. It has been published continually since 1970 and its institutional affiliation with UCLA evidently assures its survival. It is a valuable journal."

— Marshall E. Nunn, 1980. "Serials Publications in Ethnic Studies: Some Guidelines." Serials Review (April/June 1980): 54.

The following year, other reviewers also picked it as the leading journal:

"[Aztlán is one] of the more important Mexican American periodicals. ... Highly scholarly in its focus, Aztlán publishes articles on language, literature, and art, but especially works in the social sciences."

— Matt S. Meier and Feliciano Rivera. 1981. Dictionary of Mexican American History. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.

More recently:

"The preeminent scholarly journal in Chicano Studies."

— Magazines for Libraries, 1997

"This esteemed journal of record is essential for virtually all academic libraries."

— Library Journal, 1997

"Aztlán ... signals the vibrancy of Chicano Studies."

— The Chronicle of Higher Education , 2000