Más allá de los Borderlands: Anzaldúa, Spiritual Activism and Agents of Awakening

Abstract

In her post-Borderlands work, Gloria Anzaldúa asks us to redefine society by opening our minds and senses to erase boundaries, borders and labels, to free ourselves from limitations and to be able to work towards social justice for everyone. This article follows the development of post-Borderlands thought by engaging with Anzaldúan terminology as “queer” work. The terms include: autohistoria-teoría, Coyolxauhqui, conocimiento, nepantla, nos/otras, spiritual activism and new tribalism. First, I delve into these terms’ significance and how Anzaldúa and others view their impact on the field of Latina feminism and the goal of social change. Secondly, a discussion of how these concepts are represented, adopted and modified by other Latina writers ensues. Finally, we arrive at how recent Latina feminists engage with these concepts as their works demonstrate the immense reach of Anzaldúan thought. In closing, I choose to highlight a few nepantleras who have chosen to become “agents of awakening” by internalizing theory and externalizing their spirituality.