A Deweyan analysis of Gloria Anzaldua's Mestiza Consciousness

Gloria Anzaldúa’s mestiza consciousness—its most comprehensive synthesis found in her major work Borderlands: La Frontera—has strong similarities to Dewey’s work on metaphysics, creativity, culture, and habit. While some recent scholarship has focused its comparison on Latin American philosophy to the work of Dewey and James, there seems to be a comparative gap between the work of Anzaldúa and Dewey. This particular endeavor can provide a fruitful cross-cultural alliance and allow for a deeper appreciation and enrichment of Dewey’s work across racial/ethnic/gendered/sexual borders. As Anzaldúa demonstrates through her mestiza consciousness, her experience as a queer Chicana tejana informed the way she experienced and theorized her world. Her challenge of metaphysical dualities, of culture, and experience are strikingly Deweyan. Additionally, her evoking of la conciencia de la mestiza—a new consciousness—provides a new perception of meaning, something Dewey would appreciate. In identifying similarities between these two philosophers, we can continue to build essential and more meaningful bridges between American and Chicana philosophy. This paper aims to embody inclusive approaches to scholarship—and even syllabi development—while appreciating the uniqueness of Anzaldúa’s work, as well as Dewey’s.