A basic weakness in Chicana/o Studies is the way it developed. Historically, most disciplines have evolved as teaching fields, with research fields formed around that teaching experience. Generally, the teacher evolved into a scholar based on a broad grasp of their knowledge in the field gained through teaching. This was not the case with Chicana/o studies, which today consists of scholars from disparate disciplines and departments. The result is that many of the new scholars have a narrow vision of the field, looking at it from the vantage point of their selective research. This situation also puts different disciplines and their methods into competition, and prevents the asking of simple questions, such as What is Chicana/o Studies?

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