Language, Space and the Evolving Chicano Family in Nava's My Family

Abstract

This article focuses on My Family as an outstanding example of Chicano cinema that was successful in reaching both minority and so called mainstream audiences. In particular, the study explores the film’s use of language (specifically, code-switching), its representation of space (the film is set almost exclusively in East L.A.) and its representation of the family (the film depicts three generations of a Chicano family). These categories are examined in turn to determine the extent to which My Family enacts a dialectic between accessibility (openness to the dominant culture) and inaccessibility (the assertion of difference), concluding that the film rejects separatism and assimilation in favour of integration.

Keywords

• chicano family
• language
• space