IG

In-Depth Notes on Anzaldua's Borderlands and Identity Concepts

Themes of Identity

  • Identity Formation
  • Identity is shaped by social positionality rather than being a given.
  • Identity is complex; it’s not binary or additive but rather intersectional.
  • Conflicts within identity are common; identity is not always singular or whole.
  • The borderland as a constructed and contested space that influences the identities of its inhabitants.

Concepts of Identity

  • Cartesian View

  • "I think, therefore I am" emphasizes mind-body dualism.

  • Experiences perceived as threats from outside interference.

  • Embodied View

  • "I think because I am" suggests interdependence of mind and body.

  • Recognizes outside connections as both threats and essential to identity formation.

Relational Identity and Agency

  • Relational Identity

  • Identity is largely shaped by social relationships and interactions.

  • Influences include embodiment, social positionality, and cultural inheritance, affecting desires and aspirations.

  • Relational Agency

  • Agency is developed and exercised through relationships; some social connections facilitate agency more than others.

Intersectionality

  • Complex Social Dynamics
  • Intersectional harms refer to unique oppressions experienced by individuals with intersecting identities.
  • Identity is shaped by multiple factors, for instance, a queer Black woman has different experiences than a queer white woman or a queer Black man.

Anzaldua and Intersecting Identities

  • Describes multiple group identities:
  • Indigenous / Spanish, Mexican / American, Queer Woman
  • Challenges the idea of singular identity, illustrating the complexity of borderlands as a meeting point of cultures.

The Creation of the Mestiza

  • Historical Context
  • Prior to Spanish conquest, Mexico had 25 million Indigenous people, which decreased drastically post-conquest due to oppression.
  • The "Mestizo/a" identity is created from Indigenous and Spanish roots as part of a complex caste system.

Historical Borders and Their Implications

  • US-Mexico Border

  • Known as an open wound reflecting historical injustices and “manufactured” illegality.

  • Border expansion occurred through treaties like Guadalupe-Hidalgo post the 1846-1848 war.

  • Border Identity

  • Creates a third space, where identities are neither fully Mexican nor fully American, contributing to cultural hybridity.

Immigration and Economic Impact

  • Causes of Migration

  • Influences range from family dynamics to income inequality, as well as broader economic theories like World Systems Theory.

  • Undocumented Populations

  • Factors like land dispossession and shifting border policies have rendered many Mexican migrants socially undocumented in their own home country.

Cultural Conflicts and Intersectional Identities

  • Identity Conflict

  • Individuals like Anzaldua experience conflicts navigating between multiple cultural norms; often feeling out of place in both their identity communities and dominant cultures.

  • Mestiza Consciousness

  • Celebrates a blend of identities, rejecting binary understandings and embracing the complexity of identity.

  • Encompasses a freedom to blend and reshape self-conception without the need to choose between cultures or norms.

  • Conclusion on Mestiza Consciousness

  • Acknowledges the struggle against societal rejection while finding spaces that transcend binary cultural divisions, shaping unique self-conceptions and experiences.