Xicanisma: Ana Castillo’s Poetics of Feminist and Border “Conscientización”

Abstract

The article aims to get us closer to the life and work of Chicana writer Ana Castillo. The author, drawing on Castillos poems, novels, essays, and interviews, immerses herself in the force of Castillo’s feminist and border thinking and shares insights about her influence on the Chicano and Latino/a/x community. The author concludes by referring to how Castillos creative activism provides us with a xicanist and collective imagination to build world possibilities for a more just social system towards racialized communities in contexts that are historically racist, classist, and sexist.