History of NACCS

In 1972, at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Social Science Association held in San Antonio, Texas, Chicano faculty and students active in the American Sociological Association, American Anthropological Association and the American Political-Science Association came together to discuss the need for a national association of Chicana/o scholar activists. 

Discussions culminated in a proposal to establish the National Caucus of Chicano Social Scientists (NCCSS). 

The individuals proposing the establishment of the National Caucus of Chicano Social Scientists held their first meeting in New Mexico in May 1973 to further discuss the proposed association's ideology, organizational structure, and the nature and direction of Chicano social science research. A Provisional Coordinating Committee for the proposed association was likewise established. 

A subsequent meeting held on November 17, 1973 at the University of California at Irvine culminated in formally naming the emerging organization the National Association of Chicano Social Scientists (NACSS). 

The NACSS first annual conference meeting took place in 1974 at the UC Irvine campus. The first NACSS Conference was titled "Action Research: Community Control". 

In 1976, participants in the 3rd NACSS Conference voted to rename the organization the National Association for Chicano Studies. 

The association's most recent organizational name change took place in 1995 during the NACS annual conference held in Spokane, Washington. The membership voted to rename the association the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, in recognition of the critical contribution and role of Chicanas in the association.

Up to 2005, the Coordinating Committee was the leadership of the association.  The CC consisted of the foco representatives and caucus chairs.  Among them the National Coordinator, Secretary, and Treasurer was selected. NACCS regional focos include: Tejas, Northern California, Southern California, Rocky Mountain, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Colorado, East Coast and Mexico. The caucuses and committees' leadership include: COMPAS, (NACCS' political action committee), Lesbian Caucus, Joto Caucus, Chicana Caucus, K-12 Educational Caucus, Community Caucus, Student and Graduate Student Caucuses.

In 2005 the Coordinating Committee presented to the participating conference members a new governing structure.  With the passage of the structure the new leadership was elected in 2006 by the membership which along with the Chair elect (an elected position voted in 2000) elected the Treasurer, the Secretary, and 3 At Large representatives.  This NACCS Board met for the first time in October 2006.  The new structure also introduced a new subgroup called Research Divisions.

In 2010 the Research Division were voted out of the bylaws of the association. After four years, the NACCS board and membership decided that the Research Division were not succeeding in the original concept. A resolution was presented to the membership by the NACCS Board and was passed by 2/3s of the membership as required by the bylaws. 

Since its inception NACCS has encouraged research, which is critical and reaffirms the political actualization of Chicanas/os/xs. NACCS rejects mainstream research, which promotes an integrationist perspective that emphasizes consensus, assimilation, and legitimization of societal institutions. NACCS promotes research that directly confronts structures of inequality based on class, race and gender privileges in U.S. society. 

NACCS has evolved to offer various opportunities. It serves as a forum promoting communication and exchange of ideas among Chicana and Chicano scholars across all geographical and disciplinary boundaries. NACCS promotes and enhances the opportunities and participation of Chicanas, Chicanos, and Chicanx at all levels and positions of institutions of higher learning. As such NACCS has become an effective advocate for both students and scholars. NACCS stages an annual national conference, which attracts 500 to 800 participants to listen to over eighty-five presenters on a variety of topics that affect the Chicana/o/x community.

  Association’s Chronological Development 

1972: March, San Antonio, Texas. National Caucus of Chicano Social Scientist (NCCSS) formed.
1973: May 18-20, New Mexico Highlands University. First formation meeting of NCCSS. 
1974: May 10-13, University of California, Irvine, California. First Annual meeting of NCCSS
1975: April 4,5,6, (11,12[?]), Austin Texas. Second meeting of NCCSS.
1976: April 23-25, El Paso Texas. Third meeting of NCCSS.
1977: April 18 - May 1, University of California, Berkeley, California. Theme: Chicano Research as a Catalyst for Social Change.

• NCCSS adopts new name: National Association for Chicano Studies (NACS).

1978: March 16-18 Claremont, California. Theme:  Changing Perspectives on Chicano Experience.
1979: May 11-13, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Theme: Reflections on the Chicano Experience.
1980: April 17-19, Houston, Texas.
1981: April 2-4, University of California, Riverside, California. Theme: Reflections of the Chicano Experience: The Seventies, Directions for the Eighties.
1982: March 25-27, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
1983: April 14-16, Ypsilanti, Michigan.
1984: March 8-10, Austin, Texas. Theme: Voces de la Mujer.
1985: March 21-23, Sacramento, California. Theme:  Chicano Politics--After 1984.
1986: April 10-12, El Paso, Texas. Theme: Decisions for the Future in Critical Times.  

• Chicana Caucus formally incorporated into NACS structure.

1987: April 9-11, Salt Lake City, Utah. Theme: Chicano Renaissance? Can Chicanos Survive Their Decade?
1988: April 14-16, Boulder, Colorado. Theme: Estudios Chicano and the Politics of Community.
1989: March 29-April 1, Los Angeles, California. Theme: Community Empowerment and Chicano Scholarship.
1990: March 28-31, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Theme: Tradition and Change: Culture and Politics in the Chicano Community.              

• Lesbian Caucus formally incorporated into NACS structure.

1991: April 25-27, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Theme: Los Dos Mexicos.

• First NACS held in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>. 
• Student Caucus formally incorporated into NACS structure.

1992: March 25-28, San Antonio, Texas. Theme: Twenty Years of NACS Scholarship: 500 Years of Struggle and Change.
1993: March 24-27, San José, California. Theme: Re-defining Chicana and Chicano Studies. 

• Gay Caucus formally incorporated into NACS structure.
• Eastern Washington University selected as interim office.

1994: No conference held due to NACS boycott of Colorado’s anti-Gay rights amendment to state constitution.
1995: March 29-April 1, Spokane, Washington. Theme: Expanding Raza World Views: Sexuality and Regionalism.

• NACS adopts name change to: National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS)
• Gay Caucus renamed to Joto Caucus

1996: March 20-23, Chicago, Illinois. Theme: Mapping Strategies: NACCS and the Challenge of Racist Policies.
1997: April 16-19, Sacramento, California. Theme: Chicana y Chicano Scholarship: Un Compromiso Con Nuestras Communidades.

• The K-12 Caucus and the Community Caucus formally incorporated into the NACCS structure.

1998: June 24-27, Mexico City, Mexico. Theme: Chicanas/Chicanos y Mexicanas/Mexicanos: Dos Communidades, Un Mismo Pueblo.

• EWU choses not to remain as interim office. No location is selected for replacement.

1999: April 28 - May 1, San Antonio Texas. Theme: Missionary Position: Post Colonialism to Pre-Sexto Sol.
2000: March 22-25, Portland, OR. Theme: Sabiduría, Lucha y Liberación: Youth, Community and Culture en El Nuevo Sol.

• Updated Bylaws presented. Changes to the bylaws are done in 1999 to not only incorporate new caucuses since 1990 but also to address structural growth of the association. Changes to the bylaws are voted on via mail by the membership in 1999.
• Graduate Caucus formally incorporated into the NACCS structure

2001: April 4-8, Tucson, AZ. Theme: I-uan g ceksan, Tuchá Aria Wa Frontierapo, Borrando Fronteras, Erasing Borders: La Educación, Salud, e Historia del Pueblo 

• NACCS adopts official logo. Artwork by Andres Barajas.
• Coordinating Committee implements position of Executive Director.

2002: March 24-30, Chicago, IL. Theme: Building the New Majority: the Many Faces of Chicanas. 

• Members vote for first elected Chair-Elect.

2003: April 2-6, Los Angeles, CA. Theme: No More Wars: Sovereignties, Sexualities, and Human Rights.
2004: March 31-April 4, Albuquerque, NM. Theme: El Pueblo Unido…: Strength in Unity.
2005: April 13-17, Miami, FL. Theme: Visión: Articulating, Imagining, and Contextualizing Chicana/o Spaces. 

• Members at the conference vote in a new governance structure.
• Members vote in 2006 for new governing committee.

2006: June 28-July 1, Guadalajara, Jalisco MX. Theme: Transnational Chicana and Chicano Studies: Linking Local and Global Struggles for Social Justice.

• Indigenous Caucus formally incorporated into the NACCS structure.
• Lesbian Caucus changes name to Lesbian, BiMujeres, and Trans Caucus.

2007: April 4-7, 2007, San José, California. Theme: Sociocultural and Ideological Shifts: Chicana/o Migratory Movements and Immigration Passages.

• Updated bylaws are presented to cover structural changes since 2000.  

Compiled by Dr. Julia Curry Rodriguez
Updated by Kathryn Blackmer Reyes and Julia Curry
4/2007