Rasquachismo
Rasquachismo
Theory developed by Chicano scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto
Rasquachismo is a theory developed by Chicano scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto to describe "an underdog perspective, a view from "los de abajo" (from below) in working class Chicano communities which uses elements of "hybridization, juxtaposition, and integration" as a means of empowerment and resistance.[1][2][3] Rasquachismo is commonly used to describe aesthetics present in the working class Chicano art and Mexican art movements which "make the most from the least."[4] It has been described as a worldview, the "view of the underdog, which combines inventiveness with a survivalist attitude."[5][6]
Rasquachismo is rooted in the older term rasquache, which is the English form of the Spanish term rascuache,[7] of Nahuatl origin.[8] While the term was widely used as a classist slur, it has been reclaimed to highlight the creativity and uniqueness in Chicano and Mexican working-class communities.[2][9] Beyond being simply frugal, the rasquache philosophy also involves inventing new uses for conventional objects. This may mean giving a new function to something that would conventionally be considered broken or otherwise 'useless.'[5]