Memorial mediations of border crossings: The Chicana/o self-identity in Ernesto Galarza’s autobiography Barrio Boy
Memorial mediations of border crossings: The Chicana/o self-identity in Ernesto Galarza’s autobiography Barrio Boy

Summary/Abstract: Chicana/o self-identity relates to the spatial hermeneutics of the troublesome border between Mexico and the U.S. The borderlands signify the constant negotiation of Mexican American identity (both communal and individual) because the long history of territorial shifts and trespassing of the dividing line between the two countries has validated the mechanics of numerous self-manifestations. The intention of this paper is to reflect on the reciprocal notions of deterritorialization and reterritorialization, and explore how the complexities of migration intersect with the construction of selfhood. Ernesto Galarza’s autobiography “Barrio Boy” (1971) unravels the political, social, cultural and linguistic endeavors of a young immigrant who oscillates between childhood memories of an abandoned homeland south of the border and the dubious knowledge he acquires as a non-White adolescent north of the border. “Barrio Boy” is the engaging testimonio of an accomplished researcher, academician and writer in the U.S., who pledges to reveal the odyssey of an immigrant’s mindset.

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