Fighting the Borderlands

Fighting the Borderlands

They way I define myself is American by birth and Mexican by blood. Growing up people are always surprised to find out I am Mexican-American. More shocked that I have Mexican traits and I never understood why.  Some mention how I do not have a dark skin tone, the color my eyes are not brown or not being fluent in Spanish. It frustrated me that Mexicans do not see me as Mexican and Americans wanting no part of the Mexican Culture. Even while growing up, there were times where I did feel as if I sold out one culture over the other. Through school I began to discover that I do not have to denounce one culture over the other. To this day there exists hate between cultures for not being normal Western citizens. Not only it has started wars but it makes our nation more divided than ever. Chicana Activist, Gloria Anzaldúa presents an idea on how to break borders between us.  Her theory of Mestiza Consciousness calls the reader to develop common ground for change. It begins with understanding the past, connecting, and creating a new identity.

Gloria Anzaldúa was born in 1942 in the borderland town of Rio Grande Texas with Mexico a couple miles south. All her career, she teaches students on her culture how they put her in the middle. Like how the border separates the United States and Mexico. Her family worked as migrant workers but if you had to ask her what she liked, she would put reading at the top of her list. She earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas PanAmerican and a Master's from Austin. Up until her death in 2004 she was a lecturer for the University of California, Santa Cruz. Borderlands/La Frontera covers a spectrum of topics from politics, race, income class, and gender. Gloria examines the consequences on what sexism, racism and homophobia causes in our society. She proposes a new agenda on how we can overcome our differences and become the culture of change from the past.

History has a way of repeating itself with new ideas and new ways on how to make a world a better place. In Borderlands, Gloria references her land and calls it her Aztlán. The Aztlán once was home to the Aztecs located in Southwest United States or northern Mexico. They received a message from the God Huitzilopochtli and told them leave their homes. The Aztecs left their land at their own free will, which allows other cultures free will to take the land. Anzuldua also references: Spanish conquest over Mexico and the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848. The land once belonging to Mexicans now becomes a land where not speaking english might get them deported. Tereza Kynclová notes that Anzaldúa cites these histories that, “directs her attention to the overlooked—to people whose fates are not catalogued in any official version of history” (Kynclová 54). Anzaldúa wants the reader to understand that contributes to the Chicano movement with her novel Borderlands as a connection. It puts the reader in a position where now they know the information needed to understand what Gloria is proposing. She can continue on trying to connect to the reader by breaking the border.

Borderlands/La Frontera begins with subject of the border separating the United States and Mexico. The border is a metaphor of oppressions she encountered growing up as a Chicana in America. Anzaldúa describes the border as, “una herida abierta, an open wound” (Anzaldúa 3). According to Miriam Bornstein-Gómez, she explains the metaphor as, “...the product of economic and political interests imposed with complete disregard for existing cultures.” (Gómez 51). Gloria writes how the rich and powerful use borders to separate themselves expressing superiority. She expands the metaphor to her own oppressions of being female in the Mexican culture and being a queer. The Borderlands idea expands to, “wherever two or more cultures edge each other, where people of different races occupy the same territory, where under, lower, middle, and upper classes touch, where the space between two individuals shrinks with intimacy.” (Azuldua 19). When my parents emigrated to the United States, English was a struggle, but it never held them back at a better life. My Father is bilingual and became the translator of our family. Although not fluent in english my mother works everyday towards giving her kids a better life. To them learning english was a personal choice and should not be criticized. Being multilingual, Gloria mixes all kinds of writing styles to attract the reader.

Looking through her book, it was different because Gloria used different writing techniques. Using complex words to explain theories alienates the reader from understanding the writer's purpose. To avoid alienating the reader, Kynclová states, “The book’s hybrid form illustrates Anzaldúa’s new theorizing methods through the weaving pattern applied to the writing process: autobiography precedes historical narrative which is followed by poetry”. (Kynclová 47). Borderlands presents levels of logical, ethical and emotions bringing the reader to a common ground. Anzaldua also uses first and third person to address herself and as as speaker. The Spanish code switching shows that no language dominant than others. Gloria is able to tell her story but she also forces them to understand the language she speaks. In a way she wants the reader to step into her shoes to learn to understand the oppressions she encountered. She is creates her own theory of framework and the reader receives a gain in perspective.

Anzaldua proposes a new paradigm for all readers of Borderlands to discover a new Mestiza Consciousness. Kynclová defines the Mestiza Consciousness, "which is founded on self invented values and laws." (Kynclová 46). Adopted from Vasconcelo ’s theory of “the Cosmic Race” she creates a new Mestiza built from Vasconcelos and expands the spectrum for issues on sexuality, race, gender and language. If humans start to edge people who are different, they not only inflict damage to other cultures but also inflict damage to themselves for not seeking common ground. Zalfa Feghali articulates that the goal for the Mestiza Consciousness , “moves beyond the binary relationships and dichotomies that characterize traditional modes of thought, and seeks to build bridges between all minority communities in order to achieve social and political change.” (Feghali 61). Through our own experiences we create our own identities that allows us to provide our own input into political or social arguments. Hate is the wrong solution and according to Anzaldua, “Ignorance splits people, create prejudices. A misinformed public is a subjected people”. (Anzaldua 108). This paradigm allows people to become mediators of cultural edges. Shift out of habitual formations by seeking common ground by having a form of flexibility. Build a Coalition of mutual knowledge because without it then nothing will hold two parties together.