What are 'Borderlands Narratives'?

Narratives are stories: stories we hear, stories we tell others, stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes these stories are old ones, and may sound familiar. Sometimes these stories are brand new, stories that have emerged in our own lifetimes. The stories we will discuss on this site are stories of and about the Mexican-U.S. borderlands, that frontier zone in which people live, work, and play. We will be responding to our sources and to each other's views on this site, and we invite YOU to join us in our discussions and explorations.

A disclaimer: We are not experts! In addition to reading (or viewing) this collection of narratives for the first time, we are all in the process of learning about this unique cultural space and its history. Please use caution when reading OUR narratives, and make sure to cite us: http://www.borderlandsnarratives.blogspot.com/

This blog has been constucted by Professor Geneva M. Gano's American Studies class at Indiana University, Bloomington, in Spring 2010 and Spring 2011. Responses to our posts are welcomed!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Guillermo Gómez-Peña: Border Interrogation: La Pocha Nostra

This week we will be discussing different conceptions of (and differences between) the borderlands and the border.  Are the borderlands a dystopic or utopian site?  Do they have the potential, as Mike Davis suggests, to promote-- even demand-- transnational collaboration and cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico?  Might the borderlands cultivate a kind of psychic nepantilism among its inhabitants and the world, as Gloria Anzaldúa hopes, bringing "an end of rape, of violence, of war?"  And what do we make of la linea, the borderline itself?  Is it a symbolic and somewhat arbitrary line that divides two fairly indistinct cultures to its immediate north and south, or does this "line" itself seem to wield the power of life and death in the real world?  To get you thinking, take a look at this video clip by Guillermo Gómez-Peña, la pocha nostra.

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