this bridge we call home

Expanding circles of solidarity: A comparative analysis of Latin American community social justice project narratives

“…As a theoretical framework, Gloria Anzaldúa’s (1999) post-colonialist theory of Mestiza consciousness informed the present study from inside out as a guiding philosophy, epistemology and model cultural identity formation and learning community organization. Post-colonialist feminist Chela Sandoval (Anzaldúa and Keating, 2002) described Anzaldúa’s ‘path to conocimiento ’, or method for developing a transcendent awareness of the self and community in LatinX culture, succinctly:This method provides cognitive and emotional maps necessary for guiding internal and collective external action. Briefly put, the technologies of this method are (1) reading power, as in radical semiotics, la facultad, or ‘signifyin’; (2) deconstruction, or coatlicue; (3) meta-ideologizing; (4) differential perception, or nepantla, and (5) democratics, the ethical or moral technology that permits the previous four to be driven, mobilized, and organized…this methodology provides passage to that unfastened, differential juncture of being—la conciencia de la mestiza.…”

“…The second shared theme identified here, organizational dynamics, practices and values, corresponds to Anzaldúa’s fifth element in the path towards Mestiza consciousness, the practice of ‘democratics’, which enables collaboration between individuals and creates a forum for the other four elements to take place (Anzaldúa and Keating, 2002). This theme is illustrated in diverse participation and leadership as well as strategic practices for resistance and empowerment.…”

“…Critical social consciousness corresponds to deconstruction, or the second step in Anzaldúa’s path to conocimiento (Anzaldúa and Keating, 2002). The indigenous communities included in this study participated in a process of deconstruction through which they gained awareness of systemic power dynamics that work to marginalize and oppress peoples and cultures based on differences in identities.…”

“…Primarily, the Latin American social justice movements examined in this study shared a central focus on critical awareness, and, as such, post-colonialist theory was an appropriate conceptual context within which to frame their analysis. Post-colonialist theorists have pointed out the fluid, plural and constantly changing nature of cultures and of identities as they intersect (Anzaldúa, 1999; Anzaldúa & Keating, 2002; Said, 1993). In light of this, it may be unsurprising that in all of the cases explored here social justice movements focused on empowering indigenous communities occurred as a result of an interaction of cultural and sociopolitical elements.…”

Addressing Environmental Racism Through Storytelling: Toward an Environmental Justice Narrative Framework

“…Important to note is that storytelling in academic writing is largely unconventional and confined to certain disciplines. In communication studies, with several exceptions (e.g., Anzaldua & Keating, 2002; Buzzanell, 2008; hooks, 1984), many scholars are not accustomed to storytelling as valid academic writing. At the heart of the issue is an epistemological debate over what constitutes “legitimate” scholarship (Delgado Bernal & Villalpando, 2002; Taylor, 1999).…”