Conference Theme

Borders and Borderlands

Borders are meant to separate. They delineate one from another. Issues of power arise when that  delineation creates or exploits a marginalized “other.” Recent debates across the US and the  world illustrate the importance of borders to establish and protect concepts of nationalismand  safety; the plan for a “transparent” wall on the southern border of the United States, the refugee crisis which led to the limit of free movement in Europe, and the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar  are all examples of the rise of xenophobia and global humanitarian crises.

These debates have shed light on the porous nature of geographical borders, forcing citizens to  decide who gets to come in and who gets forced out. Because the world is full of such borders, it  is also full of borderlands, geographical and cultural areas occupying multiple physical spaces at  once. Gloria Anzaldúa uses the term  borderlands to refer to the geographical area that is most susceptible to “la mezcla” [hybridity], neither fully of Mexico nor fully of the United States. Those who occupy borderlands frequently occupy multiple geographical and cultural spaces.

Anzaldúa also expands the concept of border, defining it as, “a dividing line, a narrow strip  along a steep edge. A borderland can be a vague and undetermined place created by the  emotional residue of an unnatural boundary. It is in a constant state of transition. The prohibited  and forbidden are its inhabitants.”1 In this sense, “border” and “borderland” accommodate  people who do not identify with and within established borders, who instead occupy both worlds  simultaneously and are expected to abide by compound cultural expectations. Many people  occupy multiple cultural landscapes, identifying with all and none. This liminality between  nation, bodies, flesh and machine, living and dead, and the fluid spectrum stretching between  binaries can be political, geographic, imposed, claimed, and used for pride or marginalization (or both). These liminalities are sites of critical exploration that illuminate what it means to occupy  cultural, personal, and spiritual borderlands. There are countless voices that do not bear one  identity, but multiple, and those identities are often shifting frommoment to moment. Bringing  these voices and stories forward is crucial to understanding the relationship between borders and  borderlands.

Through examination of cultural representations, treatments, and uses of borders in the arts and  social justice movements, we can understand ourselves, our futures, and our relation to one  another and to ourselves.The tasks of defining and dismantling concepts of borders have never been more important. Through multiple theoretical lenses and the exploration of popular culture,  we can take a critical look at how and why borders, borderlands, and their usefulness as a means  of engaging with intersectional identities are emerging as vital areas of study.

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