Borderlands La Frontera Summary

In the 1980s, the recognized American/Mexican (chicana) theorist and writer, Gloria Anzaldua, published her semi-autobiographical book Borderlands/La Frontera. By narrating her life as a chicana, an American of Mexican descent, Anzaldua explains the existence of cultural barriers and how she managed to find her own true cultural identity while living on the border. As a tribute to her work, Emma Perez, an associate professor at the University of Colorado, wrote “Gloria Anzaldúa: La Gran Nueva Mestiza Theorist, Writer, Activist Scholar” to address the theories and concepts that have influenced and transformed her personal life and academic work. The author claims that Anzaldua became the voice of the Chicano community and has made an unforgettable …show more content…
The publication of the book shifted mind of traditional scholars and historians that could not “move beyond Eurocentric Western European thinking”. Her work led the progress of the post-national identities for chicanas/mestizas and the understanding of mixed cultures in the border (Perez). In addition, Anzaldua dared to take risks and fought to change Chicana history by going against the academic debates that “negated feminists, queers, and anyone who is not “pure” (Perez). At last, she was theorizing queerness with an open consciousness where racial, ideological, cultural, and biological traits co-exist.
The opening paragraphs of the article narrate the time Perez met Anzaldua for the first time in a Gap Store (American clothing and accessories retailer store). The author reminisces the inevitable connection she had with her fellow chicana. After this first encounter, Anzaldua became her friend and mentor. They had several in-depth conversations and even had dinners together. For that reason, she uses many personal anecdotes and quotes from Anzaldua to support her statements. Thus, making the Perez more reliable and truthful to everything she claimed due to the personal connection and relationship with the …show more content…
An essay that justifies how crucial being able to speak the language without shame and fear is part of the ethnic identity and culture of a chicano. As part of the new mestiza consciousness, language and culture are neither English or Spanish nor American or Mexican, but a mixture of them. Hence why the author references nepantla as being in between the border. In fact, chicanos are multiracial and bilingual from birth by speaking Chicano Spanish (English, Spanish, and Native American). As Anzaldua, herself writes, “The ethnic identity has twin skin, the person, and his language. Until the person isn’t proud of his language, he cannot take pride in himself”