Revelation in Aztlán

"Hidalgo lifts the veil on the intersections between the imaginary of the Bible, particularly the book of Revelation, and the scripturalizing discourses of the Chicano/a movements of the 1960s and 70s. An eclectic and disciplined mix of ethnography, textual analysis, category criticism, cultural critique, and a kind of social history, Revelation in Aztlan shows how scriptures are made through social practices even as communities are shaped by scripture. This book is a must-read." (Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, Drew Theological School, USA) "In Revelation in Aztlan, Hidalgo transgresses traditional approaches to biblical hermeneutics by privileging modern textual appropriations and applications of the Bible (scripturalization) over textual analysis of the ancient texts themselves (scriptural exegesis). This is subjective biblical criticism in its most refined form." (David A. Sanchez, Associate Professor of Early Christianity, Loyola Marymount University, USA) "Hidalgo's innovative project focuses on a conversation between various Chicano/a movement formulations of Aztlan and the book of Revelation as a way of thinking about the legacies of scriptural formations and transformations in the United States. This is necessary reading for anyone interested in scriptural interpretation and the legacies of colonialism in the United States. I highly recommend it." (Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Krister Stendhal Professor, the Divinity School, Harvard University, USA)

Bridging the fields of Religion and Latina/o Studies, this book fills a gap by examining the “spiritual” rhetoric and practices of the Chicano movement. Bringing new theoretical life to biblical studies and Chicana/o writings from the 1960s, such as El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán and El Plan de Santa Barbara, Jacqueline M. Bridging the fields of Religion and Latina/o Studies, this book fills a gap by examining the “spiritual” rhetoric and practices of the Chicano movement. Bringing new theoretical life to biblical studies and Chicana/o writings from the 1960s, such as El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán and El Plan de Santa Barbara, Jacqueline M. Hidalgo boldly makes the case that peoples, for whom historical memories of displacement loom large, engage scriptures in order to make and contest homes. Movement literature drew upon and defied the scriptural legacies of Revelation, a Christian scriptural text that also carries a displaced homing dream. Through the slipperiness of utopian imaginations, these texts become places of belonging for those whose belonging has otherwise been questioned. Hidalgo’s elegant comparative study articulates as never before how Aztlán and the new Jerusalem’s imaginative power rest in their ambiguities, their ambivalence, and the significance that people ascribe to them.