Reshaping cultural identities: A phenomenological study of eight second -generation borderland Latinas

The phenomenon of border embraces numerous sensibilities. From a cultural stance, border space represents the margins, the place at the edge that by its very nature attracts duality, fluctuation, and change. Borderlands are places that separate this side and the other side, yet also invite possibilities for new gestations in middle space. At a symbolic level, border space represents a place where death and rebirth coexist, where identities are transformed and reshaped. This work examined two areas: (1) the phenomenon of border in the context of lived space and time; (2) the evolution of salient Mexican feminine figures, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Malinche, La Llorona, and La Curandera, from an historical and archetypal stance, exploring how these mythological and cultural images have been important to and influenced the modern-day Latina.;This study applied heuristic and phenomenological methods to explore and examine borderland phenomena looking at the Texas-Mexico border from cultural, psychosocial, and depth psychological perspectives. Eight second-generation borderland Latinas were interviewed for this study, which then led to a holistic and thematic interpretation of their borderland experiences. A creative summation attempts to capture the essence of the study through poems, odes, invocations, and photographs that reflect the borderland experience individually and collectively. The body of literature included works devoted to the study of border feminine figures, scholarly material that examines current social theories related to the borderland phenomena, and literary works that support the creative piece of the dissertation. The works of Jung, Hillman, Freud, as well as various post-Jungian authors, feature prominently in the analysis and discussion of the findings.;The study concludes that honoring border experiences and archetypal images through aesthetic expression contributes to the reshaping of cultural identities in a way that provides a deeper understanding of border as sacred space---a place where soul resides, where ruptures occur, where shadow elements abide, and where keen observers of the borderlands through their creative wisdom and knowledge emerge as socio-cultural poets or illuminadoras to give voice to and transform borderland culture.