Contents
Gloria Anzaldúa
Developing the idea of borderlands as both a place and an experience of mixed identity.
This Bridge Called My Back · Borderlands/La Frontera
- Born
- 26 September 1942
- Birthplace
- Rio Grande Valley, United States
- Died
- 15 May 2004
More people
Gloria Anzaldúa
Gloria Anzaldúa was a Chicana writer and theorist whose work joined autobiography, poetry and feminist thought. She explored life across languages, cultures and social boundaries.
Early life
South Texas
Grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, where her family worked the land.
Education
Earned an English degree at Pan American University and a master's at the University of Texas at Austin.
Career
- 1968
School teaching
Taught after completing her undergraduate degree.
- 1977
California move
Focused on writing, lectures and occasional university teaching.
- 1981
Collaborative publishing
Co-edited This Bridge Called My Back with Cherríe Moraga.
- 1987
Borderlands
Published the book most closely associated with her thought.
Selected work
This Bridge Called My Back
An anthology bringing together writings by women of colour.
Borderlands/La Frontera
Examined identities formed across geographic and cultural boundaries.
Making Face, Making Soul
Edited further creative and critical work by women of colour.
Beyond work
Language
Recalled punishment for speaking Spanish at school, an experience that shaped her defence of mixed-language expression.
Unfinished doctorate
Was completing doctoral work at UC Santa Cruz when she died; the degree was awarded posthumously.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Handbook of Texas biography ↗Photo: K. Kendall. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
