THIS BRIDGE CALLED MY BACK

About

First published in 1981, This Bridge Called My Back introduced intersectionality into feminist theory. This groundbreaking multigenre anthology has made a lasting impact on U.S. feminism, demonstrating that feminism is not–and never has been–an exclusively white, middle-class movement.  This Bridge also introduced the term “women of color” into feminist discourse, underscoring the diversity among women of color.

Through personal essays, interviews, testimonials, poetry, and visual art, contributors challenge narrow definitions of feminism and offer innovative approaches to coalition-building and social change. Particularly important, for Anzaldúa, was the book’s final section, “El  Mundo Zurdo: The Vision,” which transforms identity politics into an inclusionary politics of spirit, or what she later named “spiritual activism.” At a time when many social activists advocated for separatism, joining only with others in their particular identity-based groups, Anzaldúa offered an alternative: “Third World women, lesbians, feminists, and feminist-oriented men of all colors are banding and bonding together to right that balance. Only together can we be a force. I see us as a network of kindred spirits, a kind of family.”

First published by small women-run presses (Persephone Press in 1981; Kitchen of Table Press in 1983; Third Woman Press in 2002), This Bridge was often out of print for much of the 1990s. Lucky for us all, it has been reissued in an anniversary edition with additional artwork and introductory material by co-editor Cherríe Moraga. Even today, more than forty years after its original publication, This Bridge offers invaluable insights for our contemporary world and work.