Summary: This was a hard book to talk about, but we’re so glad that we did. The late Gloria Anzaldúa’s book “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza” is beloved to many and considered a fundamental text in Chicana and Latinx studies. With gorgeous prose, she richly captures the unique experiences of those who inhabit the borderlands; of place, gender, class, and identity. Anzaldúa's book offers a poetic description of what it’s like to be caught between worlds. At the same time, this work is rightly called-out for those that it erases: Black, Indigenous, and trans people —all also existing and resisting in the borderlands. We were lucky to have Trina Reynolds-Tyler of the Invisible Institute on the podcast to talk about the ongoing influence this book has had on her as a Black woman living on the borderlands of Chicago’s south side. Key Questions: What are the borderlands and what does it mean to inhabit them? What does Anzaldua’s mean by the term “new mestiza” and how does it challenge, reinforce, or complicate the original notions of mestizaje? Who does this book erase?
