Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza is a collection of theoretical texts, memoir, and poetry, first published in 1987. Since then, it has become not just Anzaldúa’s most famous work, but a foundational text in Chicana/o, gay and lesbian, feminist, and American studies. The book centers around the idea of a “borderland,” or a place where divisions imposed by those in power breed violence as well as ambiguity and the possibility for change. The U.S.-Mexico border is the central “borderland” which Anzaldúa discusses, but she also uses the idea of the borderland to talk about the experiences of Mexican Americans throughout the United States, as well as to other groups, such as queer people, who are similarly transgressive of state power.
In response to this dynamic, Anzaldúa develops the idea of the new mestiza consciousness. This consciousness is rooted in the mestizaje, or the existence of a people born of multiple ethnic, linguistic, and ancestral origins. Through transgressing and containing dichotomies, the mestiza is able to question the dominant power structure and envision a different future.
Borderlands/La Frontera is a semi-autobiographical, cross-genre work of critical theory. Anzaldúa combines an account of her personal life, centering on her childhood and her choice to leave home in order to pursue greater freedom as a woman and a lesbian, with theoretical considerations of the relationship of Chicana/o people to the US state, and the role of patriarchy within culture. In the first half of the book, Anzaldúa moves between poetry and prose, and alternates between memoir and more theoretical discussion. The second half is composed entirely of poetry, dwelling both on Anzaldúa’s personal experiences and the stories of other people living along the border. The poems also touch on issues of gender and sexuality.
One of the most influential elements of Borderlands/La Frontera is Anzaldúa’s use of code-switching. Throughout the text, she moves not just between Spanish and English, but between multiple dialects including academic English, formal Spanish, more casual forms of both languages, and mixtures between the two which are characteristic of life at the U.S. border. In this way, the text itself embodies the idea of the new mestiza, existing as a mix of many languages and registers.
Borderlands/La Frontera has proven hugely influential since Anzaldúa published it in 1987. It was recognized as one of the 38 best books of 1987 by Library Journal, and as one of the 100 best books of the 20th century by the Utne Reader and the Hungry Mind Review. Today it is taught in colleges all over the country, and increasingly in elementary and high schools, especially at those with large Hispanic populations. The idea of the borderland has been used to discuss a variety of dynamics beyond what Anzaldúa specifically referred to in her book.
