Neocolonialism’s Bounty

This introductory chapter provides a background of Chicana/o and Latina/o literature. Chicana/o and Latina/o literature particularly demonstrate the increasing focus on empowerment—economic, political, and sexual—within Chicana/o and Latina/o America, not within Anglo-America. As such, the concept of the narratives developing in Chicana/o and Latina/o literature reflects an ongoing negotiation of form and meaning. That the narratives are told with varying elements, techniques, and genres should indicate their narrative dynamism, not a mutual inclusivity to either historical or mimetic representation. Indeed, the later novels of successful multiethnic authors explore larger cultural discourses, transnational migrations, and shifting literary aesthetics. This book then outlines specific narratives recurrent in Chicana/o and Latina/o literatures.