Re-articulating the New Mestiza

Authors

Zalfa Feghali

Abstract

This essay provides an overview, critique, and the beginning of a refiguration of Gloria Anzaldúa’s theorization of the new mestiza as set out in her seminal 1987 book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. By examining both Anzaldúa’s precursors and the articulations of hybrid identities of her contemporaries, this essay depicts the complex dynamic that characterizes the mestiza’s need to develop, beyond borders and attempts to fashion a more contemporary, transnational mestiza. Using the writing and criticism of Françoise Lionnet alongside Anzaldúa’s and other critics, and utilizing postcolonial and feminist theories, this essay hopes to provide an alternative articulation to conventional understandings of hybridity and mestizaje in contemporary thought.

Author Biography

Zalfa Feghali is a PhD candidate in American and Canadian Studies at the University of Nottingham. Her thesis uses queer theory to articulate an alternative poetics and politics of contemporary citizenship and community building processes in North America, focusing specifically on poetry and performance art practices.

Recommended Citation

Feghali, Zalfa (2011) "Re-articulating the New Mestiza," Journal of International Women's Studies: Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol12/iss2/6