Chicana Studies: An Introduction, Volume 1 introduces college, university and high school students to the interdisciplinary study of Chicanas, that is, women of Mexican heritage in the United States. Ideally, students have some background in the larger discipline of Chicana and Chicano Studies (also written as Chicana/o Studies or Chican@ Studies). However, previous study in the discipline is not necessary in order to meaningfully engage this text.

The field of Chicana Studies reveals much about the broader discipline of Chicana/o Studies, as well as the wider society. It is inclusive of men and people of other races and ethnicities, reflecting the realities in which Chicana lives are embedded. Chicana Studies, however, places Chicanas and Mexicanas at the center of scholarly inquiry. It focuses on their perspectives, experiences and voices as they struggle to create cultural identity, family and community within oppressive structures marked simultaneously by race, ethnicity, class, nationality, gender and sexuality. This text captures these and various other dimensions of Chicana Studies.