Abstract

When discussing the literary productions of Mexican-American authors, the concept of identity seems to be among the first issues to arise. Given the complex nature of the experience in the borderlands, the quest for self-definition always implies a reference to otherness, may it be white/American, Indian or male/female. My paper aims at analyzing the concept of identity as reflected in Chicano/a literature[1], emphasizing the dualities authors confront, as a result of being ‘too queer’ for ‘the other’. Furthermore, it purports to offer an account of the extent to which identity in the borderlands is performed, rather than being inscribed in the ethnic being of the subject.