‘My tongue doesn’t believe in boundaries’: A®tivism Across the US/Mexico Border

This chapter focuses on the work of Mexican American slam poetry a®tivists who question embedded narratives about borders and separation, national identity and belonging, and language(s), becoming powerful agents and advocates of social justice and change. Against the background of the polarized rhetoric describing Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants as illegals or criminals, a®tivists use the anti-elitist language of resistance. In the chapter, critical discourse analysis and systemic functional linguistics are used to shed some light on how the militarized border wall, reinforced by former US President Donald Trump, can be virtually penetrated. A®tivistic performances, which crisscross genres from a gendered perspective, may help navigate and document the complexities of the border since they constitute a counter imaginary, generate healthier relationships across the border, allow community healing, and fight de-humanization.