Lexington Books This Bridge We Call Communication: Anzaldúan Approaches to Theory, Method, and Praxis

This Bridge We Call Communication: Anzaldúan Approaches to Theory, Method, and Praxis explores contemporary communication research studies, performative writing, poetry, Latina/o studies, and gender studies through the lens of Gloria Anzaldúa's theories, methods, and concepts. Utilizing different methodologies and approaches-testimonio, performative writing, and interpretive, rhetorical, and critical methodologies-the contributors provide original research on contexts including healing and pain, woundedness, identity, Chicana and black feminisms, and experiences in academia. Review This important collection of essays brings much needed perspectives to the communication discipline through art, praxis, and theory of Anzaldúan ideas and philosophies. The artistry, writings, and illustrations in this book feature important Anzaldúan concepts like borderlands, nepantla, testimonios, conocimiento, ambiguities, intersectionalities, and critical pedagogies.--Stacey Sowards, University of Texas at Austin With remarkable breadth, stunning vulnerability, and incisive analyses, this collection animates the continued force and malleability of Gloria Anzaldúa's writings. The commitment to praxis and art, activism and intellect across the book is a testament both to Anzaldúa and the authors, as it is also an exemplar for the contemporary practice of coalitional and transformative scholarship.--Lisa A. Flores, University of Colorado Editors Leandra Hinojosa Hernández and Robert Gutierrez-Perez have crafted an innovative and necessary intervention in the field of Communication Studies that insists on the epistemological possibilities of those who live in the physical and psychological borderlands. Speaking through a mestizaje of genres and modes of storytelling, and passionately grounded in the theories of Chicana feminist scholar Gloria E. Anzaldúa, the pieces in this collection show readers that it is through speaking and writing the viscera-- the flesh--that possibilities for healing and transformation emerge. A necessary book for scholars in Communication Studies, Chicanx Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and more.--Larissa Mercado-Lopez, California State University, Fresno Such beautiful, powerful, moving words! I love the multiplicity of Anzaldúan theories, methods, perspectives, and praxes found within this book. Risking the personal, editors and contributors bring forward new insights to support and sustain us during these trying times. They demonstrate the versatility of Anzaldúan theories and perspectives, opening new directions in communication studies and other fields. La Gloria lives on, building bridges changing lives, and assisting us as we work to transform the world.--AnaLouise Keating, Professor and Director of the Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies Doctoral Program, Texas Woman's University About the Author Leandra H. Hernández is independent scholar and teaches communication courses at National University, Trident University International, and the University of Houston. Robert Gutierrez-Perez is assistant professor of culture and communication in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.