Anzaldua Summary

            Anzaldua speaks of the psychological dispute, an individual with various backgrounds faces in everyday life, giving her personal experience. This psychological dispute is stemmed in the fact that her backgrounds contradict and place a stigma on the other. She aims to conceive a manner in which the contradicting ideologies of her backgrounds can coexist while not failing to pay homage to each. Throughout the article Anzaldua describes the difficulty in dealing with multiple backgrounds, the implication this carries, and the painstaking process of balancing opposing ideologies.

           The author analyzes her own experiences as a way of describing the issue of borders. Borders are a representation of not only physical separation, yet psychological separation. Borders hinder the unison of different philosophies, such as the coming together of Mexican customs to those of the Anglo. To bring these contradicting ideas together and stop those identity conflicts Anzaldua states the new consciousness is created. This new consciousness is the mestizo consciousness; it is in charge of uniting ideas and bringing down paradigms to accept biculturalism.  This mestizo consciousness is associated with pain, uncertainty, dualistic thinking and a communal consciousness. It is this same communal consciousness that would help in the dealing of social and economic issues affecting minorities in America. Anzaldua argues, that the mestizo consciousness creates a uniting of all peoples, accepting of their histories, and a community with a similar mindset. The machismo and racism in society and other social issues would be ignored; given the understanding that humanity has similar backgrounds.

            Anzaldua concludes that the new mestizo consciousness would get rid of prejudice and ignorant conjectures postulated by preconceived biases throughout different cultures. Duality would be transcended by a new way to perceive reality, and perceive oneself. Anzaldua wants the reader to transform the way of perceiving others, and come to terms with biculturalism and contradicting dogmas. I agree that to further societies’ progression it would be beneficial to change one’s mindset and ignorant biases. However, this idea to come up with a balanced ideology is naïve. This is so given that human being is based on greed and egocentrism. Socioeconomic problems for oppressed group worldwide would be dealt with this mestizo consciousness, yet it is implausible for such consciousness to become universal.