Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies

First Committee Member

Benjamin Burroughs

Second Committee Member

David Nourse

Third Committee Member

Arthur Soto-Vasquez

Fourth Committee Member

Vincent Perez

Number of Pages

34

Abstract

Throughout this creative thesis/magazine, I explore and capture the essence of Chicano culture in the 80s and the role music played, in its simplest form. This project is heavily inspired by my dad and our shared love for music. Growing up in the 80's, pop culture was all around me, constantly; so much so, I never thought twice about it. As I got older, he told me more stories about growing up in L.A. He told me about breakdancing on Venice Beach and riding his bike under the L.A. River bridge. He would tell me stories about parties and how the celebrities he went to school with before their “big break.” We would spend weekends watching old MTV uploads, our favorite music videos, and movies. He also would tell me about the rhetoric his teachers would repeat to him growing up and the limitations they put on his growth in school, always telling me that, as Mexicans, we will always have to work twice as hard as everyone around us. This magazine is about those feelings and moments, the excitement of the 80’s, yet the isolation of being Mexican. There is an important emotional bond Chicanos feel towards music, from the romance, the lyrics, and the community that is built around it. In the past, Chicanos have seen much injustice at the hands of the city of Los Angeles, leaving them “othered” and tired; a cultural trauma passed on from generation after generation. The mainstream news at the time was constantly depicting them as criminals and violent, seemingly saying that the Chicano community was unworthy of anything. I take a deep dive into these emotions and how the youth gathered together through the art of music in their own protest. They created their own community through their love for New Wave and Punk, singing and dancing together about their collective experiences; songs about romance, loneliness, and longing, and anarchy. Teenage things. In that spirit, the creative thesis revolves around three main segments as touchpoints for understanding Chicano culture and personal narratives: Music and the Scene, The People, and National Assimilation.

Keywords

Chicano Culture; East Los Angeles; Mexican-American; Music; New Wave Music; Punk Culture

Disciplines

Broadcast and Video Studies | Communication | Journalism Studies

File Format

PDF

File Size

985 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS