An Intersectional Mestiza Consciousness: Redefining Colonial and Gender Narratives in Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction creates possibility in the imaginary through its ability to induce futuristic thinking. In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s 2020 novel Mexican Gothic and Lizzie Borden’s 1983 film Born in Flames, the deployment of speculative fiction enables the authors’ feminist protagonists to resist and then defy systems of oppression. While Mexican Gothic’s heroine, Noemí, must navigate typical Gothic tropes to discover the true horror of colonial subjugation, Born in Flames demonstrates resistance against corrupt governmental powers in a dystopic society through feminist organization. This thesis argues that Gloria Anzaldúa’s mestiza consciousness – a framework by which to understand conflicting ideologies at identity crossroads – and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality – a theory that accounts for the unique discrimination an individual faces depending on the combination of their race, gender, sexuality, etc. – can be used in tandem to recognize destructive internal and external cultural, societal, political, and economic influences. The inclusion of Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera amplifies the importance of recognizing colonial, racist, and patriarchal histories and the subsequent ability to rewrite these narratives. I contend that the application of these theories, used in conjunction with the teachings within Borderlands/La Frontera, yield an optic from which women of color in these speculative pieces may find liberation for themselves and others from unjust systems of power.