Gerardo Licon: Zoot Suit Riots, Pachucas, and Pachucos

GERARDO LICON: Zoot Suit Riots, Pachucas, and Pachucos: Mexican American Youth Culture in the U.S. Southwest

At this virtual Friday Lunch event, you will learn about the mid-twentieth century fashion style of zoot suits and the riots that were blamed on that attire during World War II. More broadly, you will learn about Mexican American youth culture during the first half of the twentieth century and the pachucas and pachucos who donned those suits. Dr. Licon will also introduce the audience to his research delving into the origins of pachuca/o culture.

This event is hosted by the Center for Humanities at UW Madison, and co-sponsored by the Center for 21st Century Studies at UWM.

This virtual event (Zoom) is open to all but registration is required. Please sign up here.  

Gerardo Licon, PhD is an Assistant Professor for the Program of Latin American and Latinx Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. He is trained as a historian with a focus on Latino, 19th and 20th Century US, Immigration, Race and Ethnicity, and Immigration History. In recent years he’s presented at the annual conferences of the Organization of American Historians, the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies, and the Latin American Studies Association.