About Us
Mission & Goals
Investing in Borderlands Communities
The Colectiva is deeply committed to amplifying and highlighting Chicanx, Latinx, and Indigenous artists, educators, activists, and scholars. Here are a few examples:
We commissioned a linocut print by South Texas borderland artist and educator Celeste De Luna of Metztli Press for the cover of the anthology.
We collaborated with Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say and the Guadalupe Latino Bookstore on events that promote the teaching of Latinx and Indigenous literature.
We’re proud to be Raíces Sponsors for Teatro Audaz San Antonio and are looking forward to an upcoming collaboration with them on a performance of Gregg Barrios’s I-DJ.
Making Works of Borderlands Shakespeare Accessible
The heart of our work is a three-volume collection of fourteen multilingual plays titled The Bard in the Borderlands: An Anthology of Shakespeare Appropriations en La Frontera. Published by ACMRS Press, this scholarly edition makes these works by Chicanx and Indigenous artists available to broad audiences, offering critical frameworks for understanding the rich tradition of Borderlands Shakespeare.
Bringing The Bard in the Borderlands to Classrooms
Since the first volume of The Bard in the Borderlands was published, we have led workshops for Humanities Texas and several colleges and universities in the region and beyond.
We have also collaborated with a San Antonio teacher to develop English and Spanish lesson plans, and we are excited to continue generating more pedagogical materials in the years ahead.
Nourishing Scholarship on Borderlands Shakespeare
We believe that one of the best ways to encourage the study of Borderlands Shakespeare is to nourish interdisciplinary communities of scholars.
We recently funded a cohort of early career fellows to develop projects on Shakespeare and Borderlands cultura. Our goal is to foster a thriving intellectual community and professional development opportunities that will support growth in the field.
People
Co-Founders
The three scholars at the helm of the project, Drs. Katherine Gillen, Adrianna M. Santos, and Kathryn Vomero Santos, each bring unique expertise and have been central to the development of the burgeoning subfield of Borderlands Shakespeare studies. They laid the groundwork for the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva in 2018 with the “Latinx Shakespeare: A Borderlands Drama Symposium.” In 2023, the Colectiva was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation for their ongoing research on Shakespeare in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands.
Dr. Katherine Gillen is Professor of English at Texas A&M University–San Antonio. She studies issues of race, gender, colonialism, and economics in early modern drama. The author of Chaste Value: Economic Crisis, Female Chastity, and the Production of Social Difference on Shakespeare’s Stage (Edinburgh UP, 2017). She is currently working on a monograph tentatively titled Shakespeare’s Racial Classicism: Whiteness, Slavery, and Humanism.
Dr. Adrianna M. Santos, Associate Professor of English at Texas A&M University–San Antonio, has built her career on work that is deeply rooted in and accountable to Chicanx communities. Her book Cicatrix Poetics, Trauma and Healing in the Literary Borderlands: Beyond Survival (Palgrave 2024) examines Chicana survival narratives as a critical facet of social justice work. She has research expertise in cultural production, performance, and pedagogy.
Dr. Kathryn Vomero Santos is Associate Professor of English at Trinity University. She specializes in the study of translation, race, and colonialism in Shakespeare and his afterlives. She is currently completing a book titled Shakespeare in Tongues, which situates Shakespeare’s legacy within conversations about multilingualism, assimilation, and decolonial resistance in U.S. imperial contexts. Dr. Santos is also the co-editor of The Ethical Implications of Shakespeare in Performance and Appropriation and serves on the board of the Friends of Friendship Park.
Media and Events Manager
As a dedicated South Texas community organizer and proud recipient of the Emerging Leader Award, Ariana is driven by a profound commitment to positively impacting her community. As the founder of the Islander Feminists, Ariana left a lasting mark on campus, advocating for change and aiding in the fight for free period products. She boasts a stellar track record in social media management and communications. She has been a driving force in electing candidates nationwide and excels in crafting and implementing advocacy opportunities for young people. Ariana contributed to a historic budget win centering young people’s experiences and investing in reproductive healthcare.
Media and Events Manager
As a dedicated South Texas community organizer and proud recipient of the Emerging Leader Award, Ariana is driven by a profound commitment to positively impacting her community. As the founder of the Islander Feminists, Ariana left a lasting mark on campus, advocating for change and aiding in the fight for free period products. She boasts a stellar track record in social media management and communications. She has been a driving force in electing candidates nationwide and excels in crafting and implementing advocacy opportunities for young people. Ariana contributed to a historic budget win centering young people’s experiences and investing in reproductive healthcare.
Teaching Fellow
Xavier Alva
Teaching Fellow
Xavier
Xavier Alva is studying English and Education at Trinity University. With several years of experience in the K–12 education system, Xavier is committed to providing inclusive, culturally responsive instruction to students from diverse and historically underserved communities. Xavier has studied Borderlands Shakespeare in coursework and through Independent Study, focusing on how these reimagined texts can be brought into the classroom through meaningful, equity-centered lesson plans. After completing his Bachelor’s degree, Xavier plans to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching to earn his teaching credential. Motivated by a deep commitment to educational justice, he centers his work on Chicanx and African American literature, with the goal of amplifying these voices in San Antonio classrooms.
Teaching Fellow
Diana Montes
Diana Montes, an honors graduate of the University of California, Riverside, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English. As a first-generation student and Chancellor’s Scholar, she developed a passion for Shakespeare and Education. She is pursuing a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Teaching Credential at UCR to become a secondary English educator within the Ethnic Studies Pathway. Her undergraduate research focused on various works from The Bard in the Borderlands, exploring the intersections of Shakespeare and cultural identity. Building on this work, she is designing lesson plans and instructional materials that align with Common Core English Language Arts standards while integrating Borderland pedagogy to enrich Shakespearean studies in secondary classrooms.
Teaching Fellow
Diana
Diana Montes, an honors graduate of the University of California, Riverside, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English. As a first-generation student and Chancellor’s Scholar, she developed a passion for Shakespeare and Education. She is pursuing a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Teaching Credential at UCR to become a secondary English educator within the Ethnic Studies Pathway. Her undergraduate research focused on various works from The Bard in the Borderlands, exploring the intersections of Shakespeare and cultural identity. Building on this work, she is designing lesson plans and instructional materials that align with Common Core English Language Arts standards while integrating Borderland pedagogy to enrich Shakespearean studies in secondary classrooms.
Graduate Assistant
Ruben Ramirez
Ruben Ramirez is an MA student at Texas A&M- San Antonio and currently serving in a Graduate Assistantship Research position with the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva. His research interests include Latino/a/x literature, Ecocriticism, Environmental Justice, and Decolonial Theory.
Graduate Assistant
Ruben
Ruben Ramirez is an MA student at Texas A&M- San Antonio and currently serving in a Graduate Assistantship Research position with the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva. His research interests include Latino/a/x literature, Ecocriticism, Environmental Justice, and Decolonial Theory.
Advisory Board
Norine R. and T. Frank Murchison Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, Trinity University
Professor of English and Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Arizona State University
Assistant Professor of English, Baylor University