Crossing Borderlands: Composition And Postcolonial Studies

by Andrea A. Lunsford (Editor)

On the surface, postcolonial studies and composition studies appear to have little in common. However, they share a strikingly similar to provide power to the words and actions of those who have been marginalized or oppressed. Postcolonial studies accomplishes this goal by opening a space for the voices of “others” in traditional views of history and literature. Composition studies strives to empower students by providing equal access to higher education and validation for their writing. For two fields that have so much in common, very little dialogue exists between them. Crossing Borderlands attempts to establish such an exchange in the hopes of creating a productive “borderland” where they can work together to realize common goals.

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an anthology, I think this collection of texts is fascinating, as the anthology is both a critique of pre-existing work in composition and postcolonial studies and it is an exercise in hybridity. While there are certainly some essays that I find more relevant to my scholarship than others, as I imagine is the case in almost every anthology, there are not any essays here that I feel wasted my time. Ming-Zahn Lu is at her most readable here in her exploration of Gloria Anzaldúa's interview with Andrea Lunsford, while the interview itself calls attention to the de-centered nature of postcolonialism, the complexity that language plays in limiting how hegemony is challenged linguistically, and the dangers abstract language plays in accidentally leaving colonized peoples outside of discourse. Equally interesting to me are the various essays dedicated to expanding critiques and applications of Marie Louise-Pratt's contact zone, which also expands into a critique of multiculturalism as well. For any intersectional person concerned with representations of non-hegemonic voices in the classroom, curriculum, and class texts, this reader provides criticism that can help orient one's pedagogy towards a more pluralistic space that operates in opposition to a monolithic Western tradition.