Rippling Borders: Transnationalism, Water, and Rivers in Latino/a Literature

Borders are traditionally linked to the claiming and policing of land. As a result, their establishment and ensuing upholding became integral components of many nation-building processes. However, in a world where nationhood... [ view full abstract ]

Borders are traditionally linked to the claiming and policing of land. As a result, their establishment and ensuing upholding became integral components of many nation-building processes. However, in a world where nationhood is eroded by incessant movement, what happens to the border? Utilizing the lens of transnationalism, this article dislodges static conversations about the border by placing it on the water. Water embodies the fluidity and lack of permanence that defines the lived experience of the border. It is also an important aspect of underscoring the human component of the border, which exists alongside, and often in resistance to, the national one. Furthermore, since the texts of Latino/a literature defy classification based on linguistic or geographical parameters, the presence of borders (physical, ideological, spiritual, etc.) permeates the genre.

This paper examines the role of the Río Grande/Río Bravo in the initial poetry sections included in Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera (a foundational Latino/a text), and the presence of the Massacre River/Dajabón River in Nelly Rosario’s award winning historical novel Song of the Water Saints. Blending the aquatic vision of the border proposed by Anzaldúa with the focus on water-infused transnationalism presented in Rosario’s novel, I contend that water and rivers evince the existence of a new creative path for women writing borders across time, space, and nations in order to humanize and dilute the hegemonic presence of land. Furthermore, this study demonstrates water’s potential for facilitating a cross-national dialogue that bridges the East/West divide that continues to permeate the field of Latino/a studies. A focus on water, with its emphasis on connectivity and movement, can serve to cultivate a broader sense of community between Chicano/a and Caribbean Latino/a authors.