Activism and the Academy: Living and Working in the Borderlands

Gloria Anzaldua's groundbreaking volume Borderlands/La frontera juxtaposes poetry and prose, and research and personal narrative, forming a bridge between activism and scholarship. This panel looks at Anzaldua's work, along with the work of two border poets, Margaret Randall and Ruth Irupe Sanabria, to explore what poetry and other creative engagements can bring to activist practices. Panelists include Margaret Randall (poet, photographer, and activist), Ruth Irupe Sanabria (poet and activist), and Michelle Gonzalez (Bard College at Simon's Rock). This discussion, moderated by Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez (Bard College at Simon's Rock), took place on the first day of Activism and the Academy: Celebrating 40 Years of Feminist Scholarship and Action, a two-day conference held September 23-24, 2011 in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Barnard Center for Research on Women.