Anzaldua Infographic

Who is Gloria Anzaldua?

Self Described...

Some of Her works

Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (Aunt Lute Books, 1987)

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (Co-Editor, 1983)

Making Face, Making Soul/Haciendo Caras: Creative and Critical Perspectives by Feminists of Color (1990)

Primary Concepts

Linguistic Terrorism

The New Mestiza

Nepantlera

More about this Rhetorician

Poetry

Social Activism

personal Life

The New Mestiza

Mestiza, in Latin America, is the name for a woman of mized race. Anzaldua took this definition and made it an entire identity for herself and other women who found themselves caught between cultures.

La Mestiza: Conciousness

Awareness

Positivity

Because of her lingual ambiguity, Anzaldua created a philosophy of conciousness to embody her between-ness.

Tolerence

Breaking

Mestiza Way

The Mestiza Way is simply the application of the Mestiza conciousness. Anzaldua cites a few premises that can be followed in order to begin:

1: Take Inventory - "Just what did she inherit from her ancestors?" - "She puts history through a sieve, winnows out the lies, looks at the forces that we as a race, as women, have been a part of."2: Create New Symbols - "This step is in conscious rupture with all oppressive traditions of all cultures and religions. She reinterprets history and using new symbols, she shapes new myths. 3: Embrace New Perspective - "...Toward the darkskinned, women, and queers. She strengthens her tolerance (and intolerance) for ambiguity."

"SHE LEARNS TO TRANSFORM THE SMALL "I" INTO THE TOTAL SELF"

Nepantlera

Nepantla is an Aztec word meaning "between-ness".

Introduced in a revised edition of This Bridge We Call Home, the concept of Nepantlera embodied the fluidity of home in a borderland landscape.

To Anzaldua

This involves a shifting, a constant newness and restlessness that fit the aesthetic that she was trying to communicate to her Anglo audience and that her borderland audience would most likely identify with. Nepantlera also signifies an understanding, and an awareness that this between-ness is not an accident but is instead the intent.

In Her Work

Originally introduced in Borderlands / La Frontera, Nepantlera is contrasted against the new mestiza. They are similar concepts, but represent different embodiments of the borderland

MESTIZA

NEPANTLERA

She Inspired Many Writers

Linguistic Terrorism

Linguistic Terrorism is defined as being the "repeated attacks on a person's native tongue by the dominant culture". It can, However, also mean the censuring or silencing of a people, culture or group.

How To Tame A Wild Tongue

Published in 1987, Anzaldua's Borderlands / La Frontera addressed Linguistic Terrorism in her prose/non-fiction piece "How To Tame A Wild Tongue"

Read an excerpt by clicking on the image

How This Plays Into Her Work

Much of Anzaldua's writing was fueled by intense anger and frustration caused by the intrensic violence of having her languages cut away from her at every turn.

Sound Familiar?