Joined together, nos+otras holds the promise of healing: We contain the others; the others contain us.” ~ AnaLouise Keating 2015
Nos/otras is a concept that in Anzaldúa’s works refers to a form of intersubjectivity. The word is a play on the feminine Spanish language term nosotras or we. By inserting a division into the word, Anzaldúa brings to the fore the meanings of the word’s composite parts: nos as us; and otras as others. In this way, the concept affirms a collective whole, mindfulness of the distinct cultural sensibilities, and standpoints underlying existing differences, as well as the critical recognition of still pervasive obstacles dividing people and groups that share in our social world.
In the spirit of nos/otras, here are links to a community of organizations and institutions directly engaged with Anzaldúa’s legacy, explicitly guided by her vision, and/or implicitly involved in Anzalduísta practices:
LUCHA – La Unión de Chicanxs Hijxs de Aztlán
Society for the Study of Gloria Anzaldúa – El Mundo Zurdo
Mujeres Unidas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS)
La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)
Anzaldúa Speaker Series in Philosophy 