Dr. Keating pays tribute to her long-time friend

books:


	• Entre Mundos / Among Worlds: New Perspectives on Gloria Anzaldua Palgrave Macmillan, 2005 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Dr. Keating pays tribute to her long-time friend

The world lost an innovative and articulate feminist-womanist thinker when Gloria Anzaldua died May 15, 2004 The author, editor, or co-editor of numerous books, Anzaldua was elevated to international prominence in 1982 through publication of "This bridge called my back: writings by radical women of color".

It made the then-radical proposition that women of color could not prioritize or negotiate among their various community identities-needing an ideology intersecting EVERYTHING. It also established Anzaldua as a major theoretical force to be reckoned with. Social justice movements could not create real change until acknowledging how they also benefit from hierarchies and subordination.

However, Dr Analouise Keating (Associate Professor of Women's Studies, Texas Woman's University) also lost a close friend; somebody sharing her vision of an America where interconnectedness was not `extra' but the norm. This intensely personal and political collection of writings pays tribute to Anzaldua, showcasing her empowering visions. Compiling this collection of writings was a way for Keating to work through the personal and professional pain of having lost Anzaldua.

I also enjoyed the essay by Carrie McMaster. Carrie and I were in the Texas Woman's University Women's Studies MA program together, sharing many critiques of disability, politics, and power. Even some women calling themselves `feminist' have very limited view of disability and consequently do not wish to recognize us as equals. McMaster conceptualizes women with disabilities as intrinsically being nepantlera because we have so many `outside' identities to navigate in the world. Rather than limiting us however, such positioning consequently necessitates the conceptualization of an alternate world where people do not have to negotiate and/or section themselves off.

Analouise Keating is an academic and a prolific writer, but `dry' and `impartial' are certainly not adjectives for this book. I never personally knew Anzaldua myself, but this work intentionally engenders a high degree of intimacy. Readers are encouraged to dig beyond sound bites and caricatures to understand who Anzaldua really was, what she thought, and was accomplishing. Like any good tribute, this tome commemorates their friendship throughout.

I appreciate that this same tribute is so accessible to general audiences. Despite Keating's very intense personal stake, this book is not her `vanity project' or personal indulgence. The book's approach and substance genuinely honors Anzaldua through being accessible to the largest audiences possible. Because writing about a departed friend is very hard, the project is especially consciousness-raising. Academics will enjoy this work, but grassroots organizers and people simply trying to figure out where they fit into this world also need to read it.

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Entre Mundos offers a multidisciplinary investigation of the concepts, impact, and writings of contemporary cultural theorist and creative writer, Gloria Anzaldua. Her work, which is frequently anthologized and often cited, as well as widely taught at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate level, has challenged and expanded previous views in American Studies, Chicano/a Studies, composition studies, cultural studies, ethnic studies, feminism, literary studies, critical pedagogy, and queer theory. Here scholars from a number of disciplines gather to reflect critically and anecdotally on Anzaldua's writing, her ideas, and the wider significance of her work. Highlighting some of Anzaldúa's lesser explored theories, EntreMundos challenges readers to re-examine Anzaldúa's writings and theorizing from additional perspectives. The goal is to broaden Anzaldúan scholarship, shifting the conversation in new directions while underscoring the visionary yet pragmatic social-justice dimensions of her work.

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