Chad M. Nelson Rhetorical Strategies

In this case study, Researcher Chad M. Nelson weighs in on the closing of Mexican American studies that occurred in Tuscon Arizona in 2012. Nelson uses a collection of Chicano literature published by Santino J. Rivera that includes a series of works from different authors that critique the decision to close the MAS program. Nelson goes deep into these texts to demonstrate how the texts employ certain rhetorical strategies to combat white privilege. Nelson refers to these strategies as In Lak’ech and mestiza rhetorics. The mestiza strategy illustrates the conflict between Mexican, American, and Indigenous cultural values and identities and an Anglo-American dominated world. The Lak’ech strategy is based on a deep principle of love and respect for humankind in the same matter as one feels for their own self. Nelson shows that both of these rhetorics are utilized by the texts.

He then gives some historical context by touching on the many challenges that Chicana/o students faced in the past. For an example, he touches on the discrimination many Chicana/o students faced in the classroom during the 1960’s. Nelson then shows how during those times Chicana/o authors used stories and poetry to voice their feelings and experiences regarding the issue of discrimination in order to draw a parallel to the purpose of Rivera’s publication. Nelson goes on to dive into the Rivera texts and draws different examples of the authors’ strategies to expose the issue. Finally, Nelson identifies the two different rhetorical strategies of In Lak’ech and mestiza in the texts and explains how they play