Professor Rabinowitz 4/1

Today, our second class this week with Professor Rabinowitz, we began by discussing the proposed plan for our combined Borderlands/No More Deaths presentation, which is slated to take place in late April. Kate passed around a sheet listing the different aspects of the presentation so that people could sign up for whichever part they felt they could contribute to most effectively. We also spent a good deal of time discussing how the presentations should be set up, how long it should run, etc.

Professor Rabinowitz then facilitated a continuation of our discussion of Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera. Drawing on issues that had been raised the previous class, we focused first on what particular “audience” Anzaldua was writing for. Some people again raised the issue that Anzaldua’s harsh treatment of Anglo culture, organized religion, and men in general could potentially alienate readers. We discussed whether this was Anzaldua’s purpose, or whether she was simply attempting to shed light on negative aspects of society and culture that she feels are unjust. Many people felt that Anzaldua was speaking up for the rights of various groups (Chicanos, homosexuals, women) who have historically been oppressed and forced to conform their behaviors to what is “normal” or “accepted”. These groups, having been deprived of the ability to express themselves freely, have had their identity stolen from them; Anzaldua attempts to reclaim and recast this identity. In order to do so, she feels that current ideological structures must be broken down. On page 102, she writes: “The future depends on the breaking down of paradigms, it depends on the straddling of two or more cultures.” In class, we questioned whether or not this future is possible. We asked whether it is possible, in constructing a new identity, to do so without defining certain groups and ideas as the “other” and whether the straddling of two cultures can be realized in a societal structure that promotes strict categorization and the creation of dividing lines that goes along with it.

I would like to add a brief sidenote regarding my personal experience with Borderlands/La Frontera. I cannot deny that, throughout my first reading of the book, I felt attacked while reading passages such as the one on page 106, which states: “I’ve encountered a few scattered and isolated gentle straight men…but they are confused, and entangled with sexist behaviors that they have not been able to eradicate.” As a non-Spanish speaker, the bilingual nature of the text left me feeling estranged from whatever message Anzaldua was trying to communicate. It seemed as though there was nothing for me to draw from the book. Following Thursday’s class however, I decided to give Borderlands a second try, and to do so with as open a mind as possible. Having read more closely, I realize now that Anzaldua is not out to attack me. Rather, I believe that I jumped to that conclusion on the basis of my initial frustration with reading things that, although I know them to be true, are difficult to accept. This frustration was a barrier that I would not have recognized had I not been exposed to the book. Although seeing one’s own limitations illuminated is never pleasant, I am glad to know that our readings and discussions are helping me to overcome these barriers.